Speaking strictly for herself Monday night, Wiscasset Selectmen's Chair Sarah Whitfield said of Wiscasset's future of the schools committee's final report, 69 pages including the appendix, "As a personal member of the selectboard, not as a whole, I am going to recommend that we send it along (to the school committee) with a recommendation in the direction of regionalization.

"But, we'll see what the rest of the board thinks," added Whitfield, the board's liaison to the future of the schools committee. 

In under 20 minutes, committee members made the draft report the final report, said the meeting was, as far as they know, their last as a committee, and thanked one another for their work and the school department for its help with questions. Whitfield said the only way the committee stays together would be if it gets a new charge. 

The report makes no recommendation. It states tuitioning out the high school grades looks "financially advantageous" but, for now, is not feasible because, according to the report, nearby high schools, namely Lincoln Academy in Newcastle, Boothbay Region High School in Boothbay Harbor, and Morse High School in Bath, "are near or at capacity." Tuitioning out would also complicate bussing, and crunching the numbers on a potential merge of the elementary grades into the middle high school building is not easy, according to the report.

"The tuition-out model proposes that Wiscasset close its high school program and pay tuition for students to attend neighboring high schools. At first glance, this approach appears to offer immediate cost savings and administrative simplicity. The subcommittee's financial analysis indicates potential net savings of approximately $513,613 per year, which could rise to $650,000 annually if Wiscasset also consolidates its Prek-8 students into one building and decommissions a school facility. (This) option is nearly impossible to accurately budget given the unknown costs of special education services as structures change, something that could either save additional monies or wipe out any cost savings."

As for keeping and strengthening the status quo, the report says this offers local control and a close-knit environment, but, unless enrollment stabilizes, viability is a concern. "Current operations provide small, supportive learning environments with innovative place-based learning, but face declining enrollment and budget pressures."

The third option explored, regionalizing high school education, "offers promise of expanded offerings and sustainability but requires long-term collaboration and cultural shifts," the report states.

Possible next steps listed are to keep monitoring enrollment and financial trends; work regionally to explore shared services or long-term regionalization; and/or seek more community input "on facility use and educational priorities."

Members noted Monday night, Wiscasset and other towns have already started talking with one another. The report notes this, too, and suggests Wiscasset, with its location and infrastructure, could, "with leadership and coordination ... become a regional educational leader."

The report states "Regionalization offers a potential path to long-term sustainability by partnering with neighboring communities to form a larger, more robust high school program. This option envisions Wiscasset serving as a hub for a new regional school, potentially in partnership with Boothbay, Alna, Westport Island, Dresden, Whitefield, and other Lincoln County towns. Such a model could draw from the successful aspects of regional governance while preserving local strengths.

"A regional high school model could address several pressing challenges. It could offer a wider range of academic programs, including advanced placement courses, career and technical education (CTE), and expanded arts and music offerings. A larger student body would support greater staffing stability, extracurricular opportunities, and potential eligibility for state funding through Maine's Integrated, Consolidated 9-16 Educational Facilities program ..."

"Nevertheless, regionalization carries significant challenges. Chief among them are concerns about loss of local identity, integration of school cultures, transportation logistics (especially for peninsula towns like Boothbay), and the complexities of creating a new governance structure. Successfully implementing regionalization would require extensive planning, trust-building, and transparent community engagement across multiple towns. The sub-committee envisions a phased approach to regionalization, beginning with shared discussions and pilot collaborations, followed by exploration of formal governance models ..."

The report recaps Wiscasset's recent history in education including the Maine Yankee years with a strong tax base, Wiscasset's getting in and back out of Regional School Unit 12, Wiscasset Primary School's closure and, since then, investment in the two remaining two school buildings.

According to Monday night's discussion, the report will be on selectmen's Aug. 19 agenda. The report will also go on wiscasset.gov, Whitfield said. Or view it at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ElDX-dNPVGFQJC90NZrpvNlXXUWmPAoa/view