Talk to other schools and keep the committee updated, Wiscasset's school committee told Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kim Andersson May 12. The years-old topic continues in the wake of Wiscasset and Boothbay Region schools’ recent try at state help to build a grades nine through 16 school for both.

Andersson told Wiscasset’s school committee May 12, the Dresden Education Exploratory Committee has reached out. “They’re (doing) a deeper dive into what it would look like for Dresden to withdraw from (Regional School Unit) 2 and join a school district. Primarily they’re looking at Wiscasset and they’re looking at Richmond. So I gave them some initial numbers” the exploratory committee had requested, she said. Andersson said those were the 2025 and 2026 tuition numbers.

“Then they asked for another number which is not something I can easily whip up … the number that it would cost for them to attend if they were part of our school unit, and that’s a much larger discussion.”

Said member Doug Merrill, “I’m thinking, where they reached out, we should engage in the conversation,” starting with Andersson “for now."

Having other students “would help with a lot of things,” Vice Chair Jonathan Barnes said.

“It would make things much better for our budget,” Merrill said.

"I’m OK with us giving them all the information they want … so (Dresden) can make an informed decision, Barnes said. 

“Do you want to limit it to Dresden,” member Christopher Hart asked as the committee mulled a motion. 

“Or do you want to include Boothbay in that, too,” Chair Tracy Whitney asked.

“Wouldn’t hurt,” Merrill said.

Said Andersson, “We’re all in the same boat. We need to consolidate. We have too many buildings, too many administrators, and not enough kids. So, we need to get together. We have to do this because it's not sustainable to continue funding education the way we do it now. We all know this.

"Wiscasset, being the center of this geographical region, and look at our facility, it’s in excellent condition. We stand in a really great position to gain all of these students ...," Andersson continued.

Member Brycson Grover said he would prefer talks with only Dresden for now. Barnes supported talking with Boothbay also. “I just want to be up front with them. We’re not saying we’re consolidating. We’re not making a regional high school.”

“Well I don’t know that we’re making any promises for anything,” Whitney said.

“We’re not,” Andersson said.

The vote for Andersson to talk with other schools ran 3-1-1 with Grover opposed and Barnes abstaining. 

Also May 12, the committee discussed concerns members said they hear about whether Wiscasset middle and high schoolers are separated, or separated enough, at Wiscasset Middle High School. It serves grades six through 12. An audience member who said she has a sixth grader told the committee she had concerns going into her child's first year at WMHS and has been pleasantly surprised. Another audience member said he has an eighth grader and has not had a problem.

Andersson asked committee members to inform her when such concerns are raised. Principal Sarah Hubert said she could get the committee a description of where the younger and older students are throughout the school day.