Westbrook and Windham are two of about six districts that are considering consolidation despite not being required to do so.
That possible consolidation was among many others outlined by Education Commissioner Susan Gendron and Gov. John Baldacci last Thursday, as they announced which schools were in compliance with state requirements.
The Westbrook, Windham and Raymond school districts have all filed multiple plans to the state describing what discussions they are in to comply with the state’s reorganization law passed earlier this year. Westbrook and Windham, because they each have more than 2,500 students, are not required to consolidate.
Cape Elizabeth, though its student population is under 2,500, filed plans to stand alone because it is a high performing and high efficiency district, though the status is subject to an audit of the district and scrutiny under rules yet to be adopted. Cape Elizabeth and School Administrative District 22 in Hampden are the only two out of six high-performing and high-efficiency districts that did not file any plans to discuss merging with neighboring communities.
High-performing and high-efficiency districts must score high on the Maine Educational Assessment test and spend less than 4 percent of their total per-pupil costs on administration. While these districts are not required to meet the minimum 2,500 student population requirement, they are still expected to have at least 1,200 students. Cape Elizabeth has just over 1,800 students.
The exact requirements for attaining high-performing and high-efficiency status are yet to be developed, and involve at least six criteria for judging the Maine Educational Assessment scores. The Department of Education is working with the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee to create the rules, which will be provisionally adopted by the state in December, when school districts will be required to submit their final and detailed plans on how they will consolidate under the reorganization law.
On Aug. 31 school districts across the state were required to file notices of intent indicating what discussions they are pursuing to consolidate. Many school districts indicated they are pursuing several options with neighboring communities, so the exact number of districts that will be formed is yet to be seen. Gendron said the Department of Education expects 75 individual regional school units to form in the end, just below the maximum of 80 units it had hoped for.
Of the 290 current school districts, 39 filed plans known as “alternative plans” that would allow them to stand alone and not merge with another district. Some districts not required to consolidate are island schools, tribal schools, and “doughnut hole” districts – districts that cannot find a community to merge with because surrounding communities have merged in other directions. High performing and high efficiency districts as well as districts with more than 2,500 students can also stand alone.
“There’s much innovation and creative work being done,” Baldacci said Thursday, pleased with what the districts have done to move forward on the reorganization plan. Gendron said there were no surprises when the plans came in.
Some schools’ plans didn’t meet the requirements of the reorganization law and need to be revamped. The commissioner’s office sent out 86 letters responding to plans that didn’t meet requirements, but many of those districts also received letters that approved a different set of plans. One such community is SAD 15 in Gray and New Gloucester, which received a letter stating they did not comply with the reorganization law in submitting an alterative plan to stand alone because it did not meet the minimum student population requirements, but they also received a letter approving their plans to consolidate with Poland, Mechanic Falls and Minot.
Some districts received letters stating only that their plans did not comply, such as SADs 55, 61 and 72, which all filed plans to stand alone though they did not meet minimum size requirements and met no other stand-alone requirements. Gendron suggested in the letters to those districts that they discuss with each other how they may be able to consolidate.
Other districts’ plans in southern Maine are:
•Acton, Sanford (does not comply: Sanford did not file same request)
•Acton with SAD 60 (does not comply: SAD 60 did not file same request)
•Sanford (complies: state requests that meetings occur with SAD 60 and Acton)
•SAD 60 (complies: state requests that meetings occur with Sanford and Acton)
•Scarborough (complies)
•Cape Elizabeth (complies: with note that district will be contacted after completion of an audit)
•South Portland (complies)
•SAD 6 (complies)
•SAD 15 (does not comply: does not meeting minimum student population)
•SAD 15, Poland, Mechanic Falls and Minot (complies)
•Old Orchard Beach, Arundel, Saco, Dayton (complies)
•SAD 55 (does not comply: does not meet minimum student population. Suggested that SADs 55, 61 and 72 consolidate)
•SAD 57 (complies)
•SAD 61 (does not comply: does not meet minimum student population. Suggested that SADs 55, 61 and 72 consolidate)
•SAD 72 (does not comply: does not meet minimum student population. Suggested that SADs 55, 61 and 72 consolidate)
The next deadline in the reorganization process is Dec. 1, when final plans on how the districts will reorganize themselves are due. A referendum in each community is to be held in January, where citizens will vote on whether to approve their district’s plan, though penalties may be incurred if the plans are rejected.
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