The newly formed Future of Our Schools Committee held a public meeting May 2 at the Boothbay town office during which subcommittees provided preliminary reports for discussion and the public raised questions and observations.

In a recent phone interview, Boothbay Town Manager Dan Bryer said a few years ago when a proposed school project was widely debated in the community, "The selectmen started exploring possibilities and there was some discussion about talking with Wiscasset." At the time, he said they heard Wiscasset wasn't interested. 

But recently, Boothbay Selectman Russ Pinkham learned from a friend that Wiscasset had a "Future of the Schools" committee. Thinking a similar committee might be a good idea regarding Boothbay region grades nine through 12, Pinkham told Bryer, "We need to get people together and form a committee."

"I thought it was worth exploring," Pinkham said. "It's an exploratory committee for options: How can we enhance education."

Pinkham said he learned Wiscasset's committee was looking at three options: Keeping the status quo; tuitioning out the high school grades; and consolidation. Bryer learned Dresden had also been looking at school options for about four years.

Boothbay region's Future of Our Schools Committee was formed in early March, with the goal of "... taking the emotion out of the equation and boiling this down to numbers we can bring to the people," Bryer said, adding that the committee decided to follow a format like Wiscasset's, looking at three similar options.

At the April 14 Boothbay Harbor selectmen's meeting, member Ken Rayle described the group as "a non-municipal committee on education," consisting of citizens looking at the status of the schools and alternatives, according to a Boothbay Register report (April 15).

Bryer, Pinkham and Rayle attended Wiscasset's Future of the Schools Committee meeting March 17.  During that meeting, as reported in Wiscasset Newspaper (March 18), Bryer told the committee "We've started our own committee and we've already met with one of your subcommittees. And we're going to try to do the same thing ... split it up into three different groups ... Board members agree, that something has to be done, because we're just traveling in a direction that isn't going to work on the peninsula."

Boothbay committee members were invited invited to join by Pinkham and Bryer, "... to make this a diverse committee," as Bryer explained so that its outcome wasn't based on only one point of view.  In addition to Bryer and Pinkham, other committee members are Chair Holly Stover, Vice Chair Rayle, Ron Campbell, Peggy Splaine, Rob Cronk, Bob Kahler and Riley Mitchell. 

Subcommittee assignments are:

Status quo: Tasked with exploring ways to economize if we continue as we have been. Members areRayle, Kahler and Bryer.

Tuition: Tasked with exploring sending students to other schools in the area on a tuition basis. Members are Splaine and Bryer.

Consolidation: Tasked with looking at options to consolidate with other area schools in a variety of ways. Members are Pinkham, Mitchell, Cronk, Campbell, Stover and Bryer.

First up at the recent meeting was the status quo subcommittee. Rayle reported the need to "create a process so we can show the cost and the impact on taxes," including the $30 million bond and interest. Each subcommittee needs to use costs from the same year so the public will have an accurate comparison. A question was raised about the feasibility of setting a minimum or maximum percentage of increase each year, which would make taxes more predictable. 

Tuition subcommittee member Bryer reported inquiries into the possibility of students going to Lincoln Academy or Morse High School showed that neither school could accept all of the high school students as there were only about 40 slots for students at each. During discussion, it was pointed out that Edgecomb and Southport have always had school choice for secondary schools. Busing and staffing costs would have to be calculated and local school officials would have "no seat at the table." For these reasons, Bryer said, "In my opinion it's not an option but we will do the work and present this to the taxpayers." 

Discussion continued, including comments about the importance of understanding tuition amounts coming into the various schools because receiving schools have to plan for staffing. Tuition agreements are calculated on maximum allowable per high school and both sending and receiving schools have to agree on the rate.  (Note: Maine Department of Education shows its 2024-25 tuition rate for Boothbay grades nine through 12 is $14,080. Lincoln Academy's website shows the school's 2025-26 tuition as $15,300.)

The consolidation subcommittee reported there are two components to its work: Consolidation with Wiscasset or the potential to create some other form of consolidated school.

One option might be under Maine's new consolidated 9-16 Educational Facilities Program. This allows a school administrative unit (SAU) to apply for state support to combine two or more high schools with a career or technical school, the UMaine or Maine community college systems, or partnership with an industry, as described on the state's DOE website.

Kahler commented that the "9-16" project has a one-campus design. "If we are applying for a state-funded project," he said, "the state has to determine the best site." Asked if a school's location would change the state's allocation, he said it wouldn't because funding is based on total valuation of a town's property. 

He reminded fellow committee members their goals were to maintain costs while keeping the quality of education. "The advantage to being smaller," he said, "is that you can be nimble."

Committee members commented there are other options in addition to traditional high school or a consolidated, nine through 16 school. When costs were mentioned, Kahler told the group, "There is the potential for philanthropy. People will come forward; we have to have the vision of what we want."

A question was raised about how long it would take to implement a plan after it was created. Mitchell said, using next year's numbers, a Boothbay, Wiscasset and Richmond regional high school would have 433 students. 

Mitchell asked Kahler where Boothbay Region High School students were going to go if the $80 million plan passed. Kahler said they would have gone to the old high school while the new one was built.

"As it was planned," Kahler said, "it was for 356 students. If we were to have more students our design could be expanded for more students."

The committee agreed the next meeting would include more information fromsubcommittees on charter schools, a timetable for each group's work and a list of "pros and cons" or "factors" for each recommendation. 

The Register followed up with some committee members by phone. Rayle, who is on the status quo subcommittee, explained, "Currently, we have an elementary and high school here. If we look at a future and don't tuition out kids or reorganize with other towns, there will need to be significant investment in building for the future."

"If we keep going, what do we think would be needed? What would be the impact on the quality of education and what additional investments would be needed?" He added, he sees the committee's intent as, "Look at it in any way we can and say, 'This seems to be the best path.'"

Rayle explained, it's important to make sure the public sees accurate numbers so people can see what it means to them individually, and that a well-functioning education system is "good for us. Real estate values decrease without a good-functioning education system."    

Mitchell said, "We are exploring many options because other towns around us are doing the same thing. They all want to cut costs but have to have schools," he said. "Declining student enrollment is not going away. It's happening statewide but is more prevalent on the coast."

Mitchell's data shows Boothbay is one of only three peninsulas in Maine with a high school. He said he may have his own personal opinion, but "I try not to take that into the room with me. This committee was set up to provide three different options to taxpayers based on facts and data." 

He is on the consolidation subcommittee and said he sees options being a high school that includes Boothbay, Wiscasset and "possibly" Richmond, using existing facilities between the towns to have a middle and high school in Wiscasset, or whatever other option the town approves.

Another option is the "9-16" program. "These all depend on what the town wants and would require a new charter," he said. He added, numbers for the district for next year show an estimated increase of $4,000 in cost per student, to around $31,000.

On Thursday, May 8, representatives of Boothbay's committee met with committees from Wiscasset and Dresden. Asked about the initial discussion, Pinkham said each of the towns is trying to determine what direction to take for grades nine through 12. "It's important to think about the students and their experience in the school. Nothing is written in stone," he continued. "We will meet again next month."

Overall, Pinkham said, "The goal is to come up with an option that benefits the students."

The next Future of Our Schools meeting is June 13 at 3 p.m. at the Boothbay town office and is open to the public.