The Scarborough Board of Education has asked the Town Council to weigh in on what school building project would best alleviate overcrowding at the middle school and repair the deficiencies at Wentworth.

Six proposals are now under consideration and while some board members and the administration have their own opinions as to which is the best plan, all said they would keep their minds open as deliberations continue.

At last week’s board meeting, the board members agreed to ask the council to help whittle the options to two worthy of further investigation.

One of the most ambitious ideas, building two new K-8 schools and renovating the middle school to be a third K-8 school, does not seem to be a popular idea with some board members, who felt residents may not support it.

But the concept does have the support of school administration. Monique Culbertson, director of curriculum and assessment, said the proposal would give the district better ability to handle future growth, share education programs, and provide greater building flexibility. Superintendent Bill Michaud said it is his favorite.

“I am absolutely convinced the best way for this community to go is the K-8s,” he said, adding that an important factor is dividing the higher grades from the lower grades while allowing them to use the common areas like the cafeteria.

Board member Walter Hanson also supported the idea.

School administrators said they did not like any of the proposals that included a school for just grades 7 and 8, although some board members did not feel the same way.

There are several plans that include this configuration including the “big intermediate” plan, which would divide the district into three K-2 schools, one 3-6 school, one 7-8 school and the high school. Another plan is called “Seven Schools” and would have three K-3 schools, one 4-6 school, one 7-8 school, and the high school.

A third plan using the junior high school model would include three K-2 schools, two 3-6 schools, a junior high school and the high school. Each plan would require the district to build a new school, expand existing schools or renovate them, or some combination thereof.

Another plan would keep the current grade configuration, which would require an addition to the middle school and renovating or building a new intermediate, which would retain the district’s current configuration of three K-2 schools, one 3-5 school, one 6-8 school and the high school. The final school plan is having four K-3 schools, two 4-8 schools and the high school. This option would require the district to build a new K-3 school and renovate Wentworth.

Board member Christopher Brownsey said he remains open to all of the proposals, but added that he would like to reduce the number of school transitions to three. However, he did say he has received several comments against the K-8 proposal.

Board member Dianne Messer said it would be difficult to get the public to support the K-8 proposal and said she was not comfortable with the proposal.

It could be more difficult getting a new grade configuration and a bond package approved by voters, Chairman David Beneman said. People do seem comfortable with the current grade configuration and that is one major advantage with moving forward with the status quo plan, he said.

And if the board decides to move forward with this plan the only question would be its cost. Previous estimates have placed the total cost of expanding the middle school and renovating Wentworth at between $25 million and $35 million.

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