Staff Writer
The following information is a summary of the Reorganization Plan, submitted to fulfill the state mandate, regarding the regrouping of all Maine schools. A Regionalization Planning committee (RPC) was formed in September 2007 to comply with the State Statutory requirements to reduce school administrative costs and begin the process of school reorganization. The RPC included three representatives from each community, one ex-officio member from the Maine School of Science and Math and a facilitator, Mary Jane McCalmon, from the Maine Department of Education. The Committee held frequent meetings to develop a Plan and the following is a summary of that Plan.
The new school board
The proposed Regional School Unit (RSU) plan does not include local school committees. A School Board composed of 20 members; Caribou — 7, Fort Fairfield — 4, Limestone — 3, Woodland — 2, Caswell —1, New Sweden — 1, Stockholm —1, Westmanland —1, will govern the RSU. Board members will be elected by their respective towns. Each Board member will serve a 3-year term, except that the initial terms of the members of the first RSU Board will be staggered. The initial members elected by each town shall meet and draw lots to determine which of them will have a 1,2, or 3-year initial term. (Initial term: January 2009 to June 2010.
Voting on the new school board will be by “weighted vote”: with each member’s vote reflecting the relative population of their community to the total population in the RSU.
Real property, personal property
All real property interests, including without limitation, land, buildings, other improvements to realty, easements, option rights, first refusal rights, purchase rights and all fixtures shall be conveyed to the new RSU. The disposition of non-transferred property, if any, shall become the property of the municipality in which it is located, unless otherwise specified in the Plan.
Limestone and Fort Fairfield will not transfer land that currently is not used for educational purposes to the RSU. The land shall become the property of the municipality in which it is located.
All other tangible school personal property, including movable equipment, furnishings, textbooks and other curriculum materials, supplies and inventories shall become property of the new RSU.
There are no provisions in the plan to limit any community’s use of their school facilities.
Bonds, notes, lease/purchase agreements, debt
All bonds, notes and lease/purchase agreements will be assumed by the RSU.
School personnel contracts
Individuals employed on the day before the operational date shall become employed by the new RSU as of the operational date. This does not prevent the existing School Departments from terminating or not renewing contracts of employees in accordance with applicable law before the operational date of the new RSU.
Individuals without written individual employment contracts who are employed on the day before the operational date shall become employed by the new RSU as of the operational date. This does not prevent the existing School Departments from terminating employees in accordance with applicable law before the operational date of the new RSU.
School collective bargaining agreements
Collective bargaining agreements shall be assumed by the new RSU as of its operational date.
Employees under existing agreements will be governed by the terms and conditions of those agreements until such time as successor contracts are negotiated.
Existing school funds and existing financial obligations
Each School Administrative Unit (SAU) shall satisfy its existing financial obligations from all legally available funds. If the SAU has not satisfied all of its existing financial obligations, the SAU shall transfer sufficient funds to the new RSU to satisfy its remaining existing financial obligations.
Remaining balances/reserve funds/ scholarship funds/ trust funds
The balance remaining in the SAU school accounts, after satisfying existing financial obligations in the accordance with the Plan, shall be paid to the Treasurer of the new RSU and continue to benefit the school district that transferred it.
Scholarship funds shall be transferred to the RSU and shall benefit the original pool of potential recipients.
Transition plan for budget development
• The new RSU School Board shall select a Superintendent of Schools as soon as practical and well in advance of the operative date of the new RSU.
• Superintendent will recommend to the RSU School Board central office administrative appointments.
• The new RSU School Board shall propose and seek approval of a recommended budget for the first operation year by submission of the recommended budget to the voters of the new district.
• The new RSU School Board shall take all other actions and shall have all other authority provided under State law to prepare for the RSU to become operational on July 1, 2009.
Transition plan for personnel policies
All personnel policies existing within the previous school districts shall continue to apply to the same employment positions after they become part of the RSU. After the operational date, the new RSU School Board and Superintendent will develop and adopt region-wide policies in accordance with applicable law.
The Plan must be approved by communities representing at least 59 percent of the 2006 October 1 enrollment for the RSU to be formed.
Estimated Cost Savings to be Achieved
• Year 1 — $100,000
• Year 2 — $355,440
• Year 3 — $242,454
Total — $497, 894
• Start-up costs will include legal costs, audit costs, reissue of tax exempt certificates, banking costs, combining accounting systems, transition costs (stipends, RSU Superintendent search/hiring, and clerical costs).
• Unintended additional expenses: Workers Compensation (combining of two separate pools with potentially greater combined costs); Collective bargaining of contracts (successor contracts may entail additional expense); potential need for RSU-wide supervision of facilities, transportation, technology and food service.
• Potential cost savings: one superintendent; consolidate the superintendent’s office staff; consolidate business office functions/staff; improve bus routing utilizing bus routing software; combine bus runs in geographically connected areas; and coordinate athletic team travel to events.
Also, consolidate bus maintenance services; bulk purchasing; employ specialists instead of contracting and regionalize testing and psychological services
Cost sharing
For the first three years of the new RSU, each community will contribute the same mill rate for the educations that they currently are in the 2008-2009 school year. If needed, additional funds will be raised based on community valuation.
The new RSU Board shall determine the method of cost sharing beyond 2011-2012.
Election of initial board of firectors
Within 30 days of issuance of Certificate of Reorganization for the new RSU, school boards shall conduct a joint meeting for the purpose of ej1
lecting an interim secretary of the new RSU and determining a date for the election of the initial Board of Directors for the new RSU.
Interim secretary duties include notifying municipal officers of the date of the election; furnishing nomination papers; receiving completed nomination papers; preparing and distributing election ballots; receipt of Town Clerk’s certification of the results of the voting in each member municipality; tabulation of Town Clerk’s certification of the results of the voting; accepting any recount positions; totaling the votes cast for each candidate and notifying the Clerks in each municipality, the candidates and the Commissioner of Education of the final results of the voting.
Tuition contracts
Tuition contacts with school districts outside the new RSU in existence as of the date of this Plan will be assumed by the new RSU, unless terminated prior to the District’s operational date.
Claims and insurance
The new RSU will assume responsibility for all current claims.
Penalties if towns vote against the plan
• Towns will be placed at the lowest level/priority when it comes to new building projects.
• Towns will be required to continue efforts to regionalize.
• Estimated financial penalties: Caribou — $209,380; Caswell — $9,440; Fort Fairfield — $86,773; Limestone — $45,160; New Sweden — $10,580; Stockholm — $5,629; Westmanland — $284; and Woodland — $28,578.
Regionalization planning committee
Co-Chairs: Sam Collins/Caribou; and Andrew McNeally/New Sweden.
Members : Caribou: Scott Willey, Karla Bell and Mark Goughan; Caswell: Donna Bernier, Lawrence Zenzius and Sharon St. Pierre; Limestone: Leslie Pelletier/Michelle Albert, Pat St. Peter, Art Thompson, Gary O’Neal and Walt Warner(ex-officio); Fort Fairfield: Dan Foster, Steve Rogeski and Jay Edgecomb; New Sweden: Ernie Easter and Mike Stotler; Stockholm: Mike Sandstrom, David Strange and Charles Anderson; Westmanland: Pat Anderson, Richard Smith, Bonnie Weatherhead and Bill Weatherhead; and Woodland: Cindy Noyes, Lewis Cousins and Ann Jepson.
