BUXTON – A “neighboring town” has expressed interest in joining School Administrative District 6, but district officials won’t say which town is considering joining the district that includes Standish, Buxton, Hollis, Limington and Frye Island.
Charlotte Dufresne, the chairwoman of the SAD 6 Board of Directors, said that the neighboring town cannot yet be revealed, since it is undergoing contract negotiations with other school districts.
“It would not be fair to put it out in the open, because that could negate their chance,” Dufresne said.
At a meeting on Monday, Feb. 3, the school board asked Superintendent Frank Sherburne to seek further information from the neighboring town’s officials about their requirements for a potential partnership, according to Dufresne.
“We’ll just look at all the pros and cons so we can make a good decision,” Dufresne said. “There are things that they want. I guess they still want their middle schoolers and high schoolers to choose where they want to go to high school.”
Dufresne said that the neighboring town, which she described as a “small” town that recently withdrew from a regional school unit, may be interested in hiring the SAD 6 administrative offices to handle the town’s financial affairs.
The neighboring town of Dayton withdrew from RSU 23 in November. Dayton officials did not return phone calls seeking comment on the possibility of joining SAD 6.
“It’s kind of like Standish,” Dufresne said, referring to Standish’s recent flirtation with withdrawing from SAD 6. “If you go it alone, you’ve got to have a superintendent, so you’re either going to spend the money for a superintendent, and if you look in the state’s financials about what superintendents make around the state, it can be a good price tag. So maybe they can’t afford a superintendent, and they’ll look to rent a superintendent, so to speak.”
When asked whether the town’s potential entry could increase district revenues, Dufresne said that she did not possess a “crystal ball.”
“It could provide new revenues,” she said. “It could also be a lot of expense.”
Sherburne could not be reached for comment.
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