State rejects several school plans

Kennebec Journal, September 14, 2007

(excerpt) Officials in Augusta and SAD 11 were told their letters were rejected because their plans would not have resulted in each having at least 2,500 students, and also were filed without a complete financial analysis.

But SAD 11 officials said they not only examined a state-provided financial analysis of merging the district and Augusta, they also conducted their own financial analysis to explore other scenarios before rejecting a merger of the two.

"I'm puzzled, because we certainly did do the financials," Superintendent Paul Knowles said. "We did exactly what the (Department of Education) asked us to do."

Augusta Superintendent Cornelia Brown said she was told by department officials their letters of intent should be very short and simple.

"Some of the guidance given by the department has not been clear, and that financial analysis piece is an example of that," she said. "It's news to me a financial analysis was to be filed.

"We disagree with the department's interpretation," she said.