STACYVILLE, Maine — Declining enrollment and the sustainability of programs sparked discussion concerning the possibility of further consolidation during the regular board meeting of RSU 50 on Monday at Katahdin Elementary School.
Community members came out in full force as the meeting commenced; many expressed their concern for the possibility of greater consolidation in the future.
Delaney Fitzpatrick of Patten was the first to speak, noting the defeated attitude of students and teachers alike. She expressed her fear for the future of Katahdin High School and the education her two younger sisters will receive.
“Since the beginning of this year, rumors have been flying,” Fitzpatrick said of position cuts and conversation about consolidation. She advocated for various teachers whose positions have been cut, such as the Katahdin High School gym teacher, and expressed her frustration with the uncertain future of KHS.
David Robinson of Sherman also shared his thoughts about the possibility of consolidating into one school.
“If this school board wants to consolidate schools, this citizen wants out,” Robinson said.
Discussion followed, the largest portion of which rested on the fact that there is no solid plan for RSU 50’s future.
“There are, without a doubt, huge challenges facing this RSU as we move forward. There is no question. Many of the voices that we heard tonight are all the voices that I have heard since I’ve walked back into the RSU,” Larry Malone, superintendent of RSU 50, said.
Currently, RSU 50 has no plan to move forward. It is not clear whether the RSU will stay intact, separate, or consolidate further.
“We’re faced with so many challenges that it’s possible we could wait too long to make some tough decisions – that means whether you do want to stay together as an RSU, whether you do want to consolidate some of your schools, or do you want to keep them the same? Each of them have funding issues, and you cannot go to the public with increases in things that are going to keep coming at you on an annual basis,” he said.
Facilities maintenance was a concern, as Southern Aroostook and Katahdin schools are each in need of repair.
“Last year you had $15,000 to maintain $3 million buildings,” Malone said. The issues in facilities maintenance is directly connected to consolidation, as it is uncertain if taxpayers’ dollars should be put into buildings that may no longer be of use in the future. Malone addressed this uncertainty by making it clear that there is no plan for the future of RSU 50. No conversation has been established for what may happen to either school, he said.
“The issue becomes that there is no plan to follow. We’re building a budget based on what we think people want. There’s a wonderful group of people that have come in and are advocating for the same things that you want. You want quality programs for this area. There’s another silent majority that has not walked into our building yet that you continue to tell me about that do not want their taxes to go up,” Malone said to the board, referring to the issues citizens bring to them outside of meetings.
“We don’t hear from them, and we will hear from them soon,” Malone continued, alluding to the impending budget vote.
“The issue is going to be that we won’t know what the ‘No’ vote meant if it’s a ‘No’ vote. Is it ‘No’ because they didn’t like the programming and the cuts? Or is it ‘No’ because it’s too much money and we haven’t followed a plan to develop the budget that has been put together by the citizens of the community?”
“I’ve heard all kinds of wishes, “ Malone added, “but when I go to look at where the plan is that you have when you came together as an RSU that says ‘this is what we want for our children …”
“We don’t have one,” Kimberly Lane, school board member from Sherman, interjected.
“My plan is to begin to have a conversation with somebody who can come in from the outside and facilitate a strategic plan for us. The overarching topic is: what do you want for your kids? What kinds of programs do you want to sustain and what do you want it to look like? Do you want it to be schools of under 100? You’ve got one school that’s going to be under 100 in a short period of time,” Malone said, addressing the declining enrollment at Southern Aroostook Community School.
“Take a look at schools you want to emulate, those that have a couple hundred kids in a high school – look at the offerings that they’re able to give. No one’s advocating for one building or the other, but there are a lot of things that need to be done,” Malone concluded.
The board voted to go forward in talks with Great Schools Partnership staff, who will assist the board in developing plans for the future.
“[Great Schools Partnership] works on both sides of your district. There are many things that need to be considered. We need something that can be written down – something that has numbers. We want to be able to have this by this date and this is how much we want to pay for it. Right now there’s no strategic plan. I’m meeting again to have a conversation with them,” Malone said of talks with Great Schools Partnership officials.
He capitalized on the fact that if the board were to tackle this issue, the community would feel that board members would look out for the interests of their town. With an outside entity like Great Schools Partnership, concern for bias regarding how to move forward in the district would be alleviated.
“If you try to facilitate it yourself, it’s going to be seen as you’re advocating for one building or another – one location or another,” Malone said.
“At times, as I walk around, it’s very much an ‘us’ and ‘they,’ a ‘we’ and ‘them’ conversation, and that’s unfortunate because when I hear people talk on both sides of the district, what you talk about are the things you want for your kids,” he added.
Stephen Walker, board member from Island Falls, expressed his thoughts about the rivalry between the two schools and plans to move forward.
“By God, I do not hate people from anywhere else in this area. I don’t care if they go to school with me. I love them because they’re citizens and I want it to be the best it can be. It’s not where you’re from, it’s not who you know and having a goal in mind and a destination – I love that,” Walker said.
Declining numbers as well as the various position cuts and increased funding in facilities maintenance were cited as the reason for increased talks about consolidation.
Declining numbers have led to the combining of two separate classrooms into one in various grades.
Position cuts have birthed various schedule changes for the RSU. The chorus teacher from Katahdin High School will be shared with Southern Aroostook, and Katahdin High School’s band director position has been eliminated as Southern Aroostook’s band director will be shared. There will also be one physical education teacher in each school district. Schedules were discussed in detail among the board members.
The district budget will be put to a vote on Thursday, June 13 at 7:00 p.m. at Katahdin High School. The Budget Referendum Vote is scheduled for public validation on Tuesday, June 25 at the local polls in each of the district’s twelve towns. The proposed budget can be viewed on www.rsu50.org.
