Voters in Bath-area Regional School Unit 1 (Woolwich, West Bath, Phippsburg, Bath and Arrowsic) approved a cost sharing formula change during a special referendum vote on March 19. The votes totaled 580 “yes” against 138 “no.” The change will be effective starting the fiscal school year 2014.

Woolwich and West Bath were the only two towns in RSU 1 to vote down the change for this coming fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2013. This will mean an increase of $258,000 over this year's tax assessment for Woolwich residents.

The votes tallied after the March 19 referendum were recorded as follows: Woolwich 21 yes, 61 no; West Bath 17 yes, 68 no; Phippsburg 270 yes, 2 no; Bath 190 yes, 6 no; and Arrowsic 82 yes, 1 no.

Member towns of RSU 1 will share local education costs using a formula based on student population. Currently, local education costs are divided into thirds (based on one third student population, one third town population and one third valuation of a town).

The Cost Sharing Committee, which acted as an intermediary group for towns and the RSU, met earlier this year and last to discuss proposed changes to the way the school district's local education costs are shared among member towns.

Selectmen from all of the towns were in favor of the cost sharing formula change, but those from West Bath and Woolwich had stated in committee meetings they would like to delay the start of this change until fiscal year 2015 (July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015).