AUGUSTA, Maine — A consolidation project that would see the creation of a regional school bus garage for mechanical work was one of seven projects approved by the Maine Department of Education Tuesday afternoon.
RSU 29 Superintendent Ellen Schneider confirmed April 4 that her district’s proposal was one of the seven projects approved by the DOE. The combined seven projects were estimated to cost $2.7 million, but would save an estimated $16.2 million over a five-year span.
The RSU 29 project calls for a consolidated bus garage to be shared with SAD 70, RSU 50, East Grand School and the Region Two Career and Technical Education program that would allow the five groups to employ a shared mechanic who would be dedicated to repairs and maintenance on school busses and other district vehicles.
“Our main goal would be to save money on parts and labor for our busses and other vehicles,” she said. “It could also lead to a longer life span for all of the busses, as well as keeping them in better overall condition.”
The project would cost about $415,000, but could save the four districts as much as $930,000 over a five-year span. Schneider said the cost and savings were only estimates. The group will now explore the costs of either purchasing an existing building to meet their needs versus building an entirely new structure.
The garage would not be used as a centralized storage facility for all of the five district’s busses as the geography of the region makes that plan cost prohibitive.
Currently, RSU 29 sends its school busses to local repair shops for any work that needs to be done, Schneider said.
Funding for these grants was created by Gov. Paul LePage via an executive order in January that was intended to help public school districts find new efficiencies in their operations and pursue voluntary consolidation efforts.
A total of 21 grant applications were submitted, seven of which were funded. LePage has requested another $5 million in his biennial budget proposal to enable more projects in the future. LePage created the grant program in an effort to increase efficiencies in public schools and consolidate administrative structures and reduce the number of superintendents in Maine.
Other County schools receiving approval were:
— SAD 27 in the Fort Kent area will lead a $508,000 project in which three St. John Valley School districts combine grades 9-12 in a regional high school and technical education center while maintaining each community’s early childhood to eighth grade schools. Participants include SAD 33 in the St. Agatha area, the Madawaska School Department, the St. John Valley Technology Center and the University of Maine at Fort Kent. The five-year cost savings are estimated to be more than $900,000.
— SAD 1 in the Presque Isle area will work with SAD 45 in Washburn, Perham and Wade to spend approximately $162,500 on a project to bundle special education, psychological services, transportation, technology and facilities services that are currently being operated independently. The project is anticipated to save $537,500 over five years.
BDN reporters Christopher Cousins and Michael Shepherd contributed to this article.
