Machias-Area School Planners Unanimously Approve Consolidation Plan

Some Shifting in Savings to Occur; Overall Costs Expected to Rise in Time

By Will Tuell

Downeast Coastal Press, October 14

The Machias-area Regional Planning Committee (RPC) unanimously approved a school consolidation plan at its October 9 meeting, setting up what could be a December 9 referendum if Maine Department of Education Commissioner Susan Gendron and area selectmen and school boards give the green light before month's end. 

Union 102 Superintendent Scott Porter detailed several changes to the draft plan that officials had given him authority to submit to the Department of Education (DOE) September 30, chief amongst them being the immediate beneficiaries of the new school district's cost savings as a result of how they are allocated.

“They want to know what a central office is going to cost, how you're going to achieve savings, and an estimate of what those savings are going to be,” said Porter. “Keep in mind that this is an estimate. ... Just because this group approves it, school committees approve it, doesn't mean that what you see here is absolutely fixed in stone.” Changes can be made, he said.

As designed now, four towns will realize administrative cost savings in the first year of operation. Lubec is projected to save $88,524. Machiasport is projected to save $28,702. Cutler would save $20,968, and Whiting would save $14,152 under current estimates. The other eight towns—East Machias, Jonesboro, Machias, Marshfield, Northfield, Roque Bluffs, Wesley and Whitneyville—would not see any savings in the cost of school administration.

“The [non-saving towns] would see a minor increase [in costs] with this particular scenario. The eight towns [that are] currently sharing central office superintendent services and special education administration have achieved savings,” said Porter. He added that to bring in additional partners, the central office would have to “up-staff” in order to provide additional coverage to the increased student population.

“If this comes to fruition, we could lose [federal] funding, or would have to use it a different way. Right now we fund a curriculum coordinator with federal funding. There's no local money that we're using [currently]. So we put in a half-time curriculum coordinator, we put in another human resource person/bookkeeper on the superintendent's side of the office. On the special education side of the office there's an IEP coordinator as well as an additional secretary.”

Porter said that projecting out beyond FY 2009-10, savings would likely “diminish some” due to rising employee, administrative and energy costs.

Porter also reiterated that state subsidy would be awarded in one lump sum under the new structure instead of going to each individual school unit or municipality as it does now. That scenario, in Porter's view, results in additional winners and losers. Porter said that projections would be available for a series of public meetings to be held prior to the balloting.

“[Currently], in all 12 towns you get an individual printout that tells you what you're going to get for [state] subsidy,” said Porter. “In an alternative organization structure there'll be [but] one printout—the collective of all the subsidies. It won't tell me how much [the state allotted] to Machias, East Machias, Wesley, etc. That's the problem.”

Porter suggested that there may be a “legislative remedy” to this issue in the next session, though it would not likely come before January 30, the absolute last day voters can legally cast ballots on consolidation without their communities suffering a subsidy freeze for noncompliance with the law.

Special Referendum Eyed for Dec. 9

RPC members are hoping to get a plan before voters as early as December 9. For that to happen, Gendron must give her final approval, school committees must vote to send the plan to DOE, municipalities must file a warrant 45 days in advance, and public hearings must be scheduled for at least 10 days before the vote.

“Any misstep obviously is going to slow down the process,” said Porter. “But I can tell them [Department of Education] that we are shooting for December 9, and put it in overdrive to get this done.”

Several area school committees attended the RPC meeting with the intent of voting on the plan that evening. School officials agreed that they would probably have to call emergency school board meetings for those committees that couldn't field a quorum. That process was under way over the Columbus Day weekend.

If the vote can't be scheduled for December—something local officials won't know until the end of the month—it will likely come in January, rather than maneuver around Christmas.

“I don't think we want to get too close to Christmas,” said Porter. “If we can't get it done in that week [December 9], we're going to have to drop back and do it in January. The Legislature comes in session the first week in January. It would be really nice to see a lot of votes come in that they're going to have to deal with in some fashion. Strategically, some people are thinking that way.”

The RPC did not schedule a subsequent meeting, agreeing informally to meet only if Gendron sends the plan back to them for revisions.