While the Scarborough school administration supports a plan to build three K-8 schools, the concept does not seem to be gathering much support from school board members or town councilors.

The plan is one of six being considered by the Scarborough school district to help alleviate overcrowding at the middle school and repair deficiencies at the Wentworth Intermediate School. Last Wednesday the school board met with the Town Council to get its opinions regarding the options and to help it narrow down the list to one or two options that could be further explored.

All six options would essentially require renovations at one building and the construction of at least one new building. While no numbers have been developed for any of the plans, School Board Chairman David Beneman said the proposals will have different operating and future maintenance costs, but will cost about the same amount to build.

“There isn’t a huge difference – I don’t think – with construction costs with these at least conceptually,” Beneman said.

However, the three K-8 schools are the most ambitious and would require a dramatic shift in the town’s educational system. It is the concept that has the administration’s support. Some of the benefits cited by the administration include greater building flexibility and the ability to share educational programming.

Those who do not support the plan contend that the shift may be too great for residents to support. Town Council Chairman Jeffrey Messer said he has been speaking with residents about the proposal and the K-8 concept has not been well supported.

“There was a large concern many people had with the younger kids going to school with the older kids,” Messer said.

Costs are another concerns with the proposal. The district has said the funding would come through the sale of the three K-2 schools, which it hopes will provide enough money to build one school, Wentworth would be refurbished as a second and the third would be bonded. Messer does not think the district could get much for the three elementary schools and was told the buildings were not worth a lot, except for their land. He said he thinks that project could cost $50 million to $60 million.

“The thing is it would have zero chance of passing,” he said.

Town Manager Ron Owens said finding enough land for the buildings would be a challenge, but added that before any decision is reached the councilors and school board members would visit a K-8 school.

Messer did support two options. One was the “Big Intermediate,” which would divide the district into three K-2 schools, one 3-6 school, one 7-8 school and the high school. He also liked “Seven Schools,” which would have three K-3 schools, one 4-6 school, one 7-8 school, and the high school.

Messer said those projects could be done for $27 million or less and could be supported by residents.

While Superintendent Bill Michaud said any configuration would work, the administration is less in favor on any concept that includes only two grades in a school. This would eliminate several of the proposals, which include a junior high school for just grades 7 and 8.

Both the Big Intermediate and Seven Schools plans include the junior high along with a plan to create three K-2 schools, two 3-6 schools, a junior high school and the high school.

The other school options are: 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.

The earliest that the board would be able to move forward with a bond would be 2006.

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