Waterville awaits school plan fallout

Morning Sentinel, February 26, 2008

(excerpt) School Superintendent Eric Haley has formally notified the state of the School Board's decision to stop exploring a merger with School Administrative District 47 and School Union 52.

Haley told the Board of Education Monday night that he is awaiting a response from Education Commissioner Susan Gendron's office on a memo he sent to her, dated Feb. 19.

The memo says Waterville schools have been studying regionalization with Union 52, based in Winslow, and SAD 47, based in Oakland, for more than three years -- well before the state mandated that schools study consolidation.

Waterville has run countless financial scenarios, studied all teacher contracts, reviewed real property and school assets and spent hours developing potential governance of a regional school unit, Haley's memo says.

"At this point in time, the cost shifting to Waterville from such a reorganization makes it an unacceptable initiative," it says.

Haley said he spoke with officials from Gendron's office and was told a formal notification by Waterville needed to be received as soon as possible and that it was received; the school system will receive a standard response, asking that Waterville be more specific about the reasons for withdrawing and outlining other methods for cost-savings and efficiencies.

Haley has said Waterville could pay from $144,000 to more than $570,000 to merge with the other school systems.