Alna Third Selectman Doug Baston and Second Selectman Melissa Spinney said Oct. 25, they were feeling discouraged in their efforts to clamp down on student residency issues, and they said they expect a petition from residents proposing to alter school choice.

Cutting private schools as an option could save money by removing Alna’s appeal to parents wanting to send their children to private schools, according to Baston and resident Ralph Hilton, a former Alna representative to Sheepscot Valley Regional School Unit 12.

Alna families have school choice for kindergarten through high school, not just high school like most other towns in the district. Selectmen and some residents have maintained the town is attracting families who want to send their children to private schools on the town’s dime. Baston said choice could be only for public schools, if the town and school district agreed to the change. The district comes into play because the change would alter an agreement dating to the district’s creation, Baston said.

Selectmen predicted a citizens’ petition drive. They were aware of none. “But a lot of people are talking about it,” Baston said. Spinney added, some residents are saying if someone else doesn’t do one, they will. Then it would be up to selectmen to set a town vote, Baston said.

Minutes earlier, selectmen recounted their recent meeting with the district’s superintendent of schools, Howie Tuttle. They said they learned the district has no plans to go to court over incidents they have raised of suspected residency fraud or attempted fraud.

In addition, the board has a one-year residency requirement for students but it may not hold up in court, selectmen said; and they said, if they refuse to sign an affidavit of residency, the superintendent can still approve it.

In a phone interview hours earlier, Tuttle expressed his appreciation for Alna’s residency verification efforts that have exceeded any town he’s seen; he said he explained to selectmen he considers their input in each instance, but he decides whether or not a child is eligible to attend school as an Alna student.

“It was discouraging,” Baston said about the meeting with Tuttle. Spinney said she left it “depressed.” Resident Toby Stockford wondered if the board could pursue a court ruling or other measure, to set a precedent he said might discourage people from taking advantage of the town on school choice. “You’d be setting some kind of groundwork, for the future, that we’re not going to let this happen.”

Hilton called for legislation to better define student residency. The law now is wide open, he said. Baston doubted the Legislature would revise the law; Alna’s situation is unique, he said. Another SVRSU town, Westport Island, also has K-12 school choice, but Alna’s affordable properties for sale have exposed it to an influx of people seeking school choice, Baston said.

Baston said he might talk further with Tuttle about Alna’s options.

Also Oct. 25, selectmen talked about paring costs for a new town office, possibly by skipping an ell to house a vault for archives. Instead, a vault might be able to go in the fire station or in the basement the new town office might have. Baston said he has talked with two modular home contractors and one gave him a ballpark estimate of $125,000, not counting handicap accessibility and other items a town office would need.

Baston said he had also been talking further with Lewis + Malm Architecture, the hired firm helping the town plan and estimate costs for either a new building or an add-on to the cape that now serves as the town office. Both options are still open, selectmen said. In September, the Bucksport firm projected a new one at $492,000 and the add-on at $116,000.

The board meets next at 6 p.m. Nov. 8 at the town office.