Westbrook may be seeking people to serve on a new regional planning committee if a vote Wednesday by the school board favors continuing consolidaton talks with the Windham and Raymond school districts.
The school committee is meeting after the American Journal deadline. Superintendent Stan Sawyer, along with School Committee Chairwoman Colleen Hilton and Vice Chairman Greg Smith, were scheduled to present the details of a meeting they had with the Windham and Raymond school departments on Aug. 8. Sawyer submitted a letter to the school committee recommending discussions continue both about consolidation as well as standing alone.
School districts are required to submit a notice of intent to the Maine Department of Education by Aug. 31, outlining what the districts plan to do under Maine’s new school reorganization law. Both Westbrook and Windham are not required to consolidate because they meet the minimum school district population of 2,500, but the districts are expected to cut costs regardless.
If the discussions of a three-district consolidation continue, Westbrook will need representatives to serve on a regional planning committee. The Windham school board also voted Wednesday on whether to continue the talks with Raymond and Westbrook. Windham Superintendent Sandy Prince last week said he would recommend the talks continue. Raymond and Windham have been in consolidation discussion since early July, and already have a regional planning committee formed.
Sawyer has suggested that the Westbrook delegates to the regional planning committee should include a member of the city’s administration, one or two city councilors, two school committee members, a state representative, a parent and a local business person, as well as himself and the district’s business manager, Michael Kucsma.
If formed, Sawyer hopes to schedule a first meeting on Monday in order to have a meeting before the notice of intent is filed. The next meeting would fall on Sept. 10.
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