Union 98 convenes a regional planning committee
June 25, 2007
To convene a regional school planning committee, the Board of School Union 98 invites the school boards of the towns of Bar Harbor, Mount Desert, Southwest Harbor, Tremont, Cranberry Isles, Frenchboro, Swans Island, and Trenton each to delegate as many as three official representatives to an organizational meeting, tentatively scheduled for the last week of July.
The Board of School Union 98 recommends that each school committee, in consultation with their respective communities, nominate two representatives and ask their municipal governing body to nominate the third representative. Each local school board will officially confirm their three-member delegation and (by July 23?) forward the names to the Union 98 board which will then convene the first meeting of the Regional Planning Committee.
Responsibilities of members of the Regional Planning Committee will be:
1) To represent each town's interest in public K-12 education.
2) To commit substantial time and effort to explore the opportunities for regional association as required by new law in a manner consistent with the best interests of our schools and communities.
3) To draft and tentatively approve a regional plan for education for approval by local referendum,
4) To serve as an informational conduit to and from each respective municipal constituency.
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Projected schedule for Regional Planning Committee
June 25, 2007
June-July:
Beginning as soon as possible: Local boards meet to nominate and approve Regional Planning Committee representatives by July 23. Union 98 Board convenes Regional Planning Committee. RPC agrees on process, ground rules, schedules work for negotiating schematic plan.
Monday, July 23: RPC’s initial organizational meeting
Wednesday, July 25: MSMA workshop
August:
By August 31: RPC members commit to regional intent and submit letter of intent to Department of Education. Work continues on plan details. Legal review and local review iterate as necessary.
September:
Finalize plan and submit to state Department of Education.
December
By December 15: Department of Education approves RPC's plan
January, 2008
January 15, 2008: Plan goes to local referendum.
May, June 2008: Municipal elections of regional board members.
July 1, 2008: New regional district begins operations.