It would appear that Wiscasset and Westport Island are not the only towns in Maine unhappy with their school district. According to RSU 12 school board Chairwoman Hilary Holm, there are 16 towns in Maine working on the withdrawal process.

According to state statute, towns have 90 days from first meetingof their withdrawal committee to form withdrawal agreements. Wiscasset’s time began as of their committee’s first meeting on July 19.

The Wiscasset Withdrawal Committee elected their chairman and scheduled their next meeting for Thursday, July 26, in the town office meeting room beginning at 6 p.m.

Holm, along with the district's ad-hoc liaison committee, discussed the role of the town's Withdrawal Committee and the role of the district's ad-hoc committee.

Wiscasset and Westport Island citizens voted to begin the withdrawal process in June, the district's ad-hoc committee was appointed by the district school board, not to act as an authority for either town, but to assist the towns in development of their individual withdrawal agreements.

The district board needs to consult with each town's withdrawal committee on developing the withdrawal agreements and ultimately approve each plan to submit to the commissioner of the Department of Education, as stipulated in state law.

Neither the withdrawal committee nor the ad-hoc committee is optimistic that a plan can be approved in 90 days, and an extension may need to be requested from the Department of Education.

“Based on the law, you must try to do it in 90 days,” Holm told the Withdrawal Committee.

Holm told the Wiscasset withdrawal committee the RSU board will be considering a new cost sharing formula at their Aug. 9 meeting, and suggested that committee members attend the meeting. Holm indicated that a new cost sharing formula should be ready for a November vote.

“We are not only going to look at the cost of education, but the quality of education,” Selectman and Withdrawal Committee member Jefferson Slack said.

The agenda of the committee’s first meeting included an open discussion led by Chairman Mary Myers and a review of questions prepared by the Withdrawal Committee.

“This is a very inexperienced committee” Slack said, referring to the Withdrawal Committee. “We were appointed for our honesty, and we have no ax to grind.” He pointed out that it took about two years for Wiscasset to get into the school district, and he wanted to be sure any recommendation made by the Withdrawal Committee would be the right one. “I believe we must, as the old saying goes, hurry slowly to find the right solution.”

The committee also took care of some housekeeping items, such a whom they can contact for information regarding district issues – they were told by the ad-hoc members all requests for information should go through the superintendent's office – Slack will be the contact for the news media; all meetings of the withdrawal committee will be open to the public; and their meeting scheduled will be announced.