GLENBURN, Maine — Residents in Glenburn and Veazie are in the early stages of attempting to withdraw from RSU 26, and already are finding it’s not a simple process.
During a Glenburn Town Council meeting Thursday, Jan. 26, councilors reviewed the language of a petition submitted by a committee of residents who want to see Glenburn pull itself from the school district.
The petition read: “We, the undersigned, being qualified voters of the Town of Glenburn, Maine, favor the withdrawal of Glenburn from Regional School Unit (RSU) #26 — RSU 26.”
On the advice of the town attorney, the council rejected the petition, because it didn’t follow the language recommended in state statute, which reads: “Do you favor filing a petition for withdrawal with the board of directors of regional school unit (name of regional school unit) and with the Commissioner of Education?”
The petition also should name a dollar amount that the town is allowed to spend for legal fees and other expenses associated with the withdrawal process.
John Higgins, an RSU 26 board member who is on the committee pushing for Glenburn to step out of the school district, told the Town Council he would rework the language and gather signatures a second time in an attempt to bring the withdrawal bid before voters.
In Veazie, Rob Tomlinson and four other residents have formed a committee to explore its options and have gathered petition signatures of their own.
The Veazie Town Council will discuss the school budget and the withdrawal petition with members of the school district’s board of directors and Superintendent Douglas Smith during a meeting set for 7 p.m. Monday at the Veazie Town Office.
Veazie and Glenburn residents, including members of the school district’s board, have complained that weighted voting on the board means their towns have little say in what happens in the district.
They also are paying the bulk of the $105,000 that Orono, Glenburn and Veazie will have to pay in order to fully close a $2 million budget gap the school district’s finance committee was tasked with closing in October of last year.
Glenburn’s share of the $105,349 would be $37,689. Veazie residents would pay $49,171, and Orono would contribute $18,489. Those shares are higher in Glenburn and Veazie because of increased tax valuations in the communities.
If Veazie and Glenburn succeed in their withdrawal bids, they can either join another school district or go their own course — a path that is allowed in statute, but a risky one that wouldn’t be advisable for most communities, according to Maine Department of Education Deputy Commissioner Jim Rier.
“If they choose to go off on their own, they’ll be faced with all the risks associated with the uncertainty of things like the number of special needs students in your schools,” Rier said.
Being a part of a school district gives you more alternatives if a school can’t meet a requirement or provide particular programs, he said.
Now that withdrawal from school districts is allowed under state law, Glenburn and Veazie are only two communities in a large pool that are considering withdrawal or starting the process.
Municipalities discussing withdrawal or starting the process include Andover, Frankfort, North Yarmouth, Athens, Kennebunkport, Richmond and Arundel.
The process requires the town that wants to leave to get a petition signed by 10 percent of the number of residents who voted in the last gubernatorial election, put the question on a town warrant, have residents vote to go through the process, form a committee to negotiate with the district at large, make a plan on how to withdraw and put the plan to voters and get a two-thirds majority vote to approve that plan. The state education department then has to approve that plan.
Withdrawal is a difficult thing to do by design, according to Maine Department of Education spokesman David Connerty-Marin.
“You certainly don’t want districts joining and separating willy-nilly,” he said Friday.
Starks, a town of about 600 residents located midway between Madison and Farmington, completed the withdrawal process from RSU 59 on Jan. 10, with voters approving the exit by 85 percent. The town was allowed to start the withdrawal process before Jan. 1 because the schools in the original SAD were unchanged when they switched to an RSU, according to Connerty-Marin.
Now, Starks is beginning the process of joining neighboring RSU 9, a plan which residents would vote on in the spring.
The process went “perfectly” for the small school system, according to Ernest Hilton, a Starks lawyer who served as chairman on both the committee to withdraw from one school district and the committee to join the other.
Starks was displeased with the fact that Madison Area High School was named one of Maine’s 10 “failing schools” in 2010 by the state Department of Education. But in the school district just west, Starks saw a district with more Advanced Placement classes, higher graduation rates and better college attendance numbers, Hilton said.
Starks also found, even before starting its withdrawal petition drive, that it could drop about 3 mill rates in taxes by moving to RSU 9.
Hilton said Starks had a plan and concrete reasons why their withdrawal would benefit Starks’ schools and RSU 9 from the early stages of the process, which is important if a withdrawal committee wants its plan to be approved by the Department of Education.
Rier said the pushes to pull out of RSUs are “emotionally charged,” and that communities need to organize and gather their information and get their facts and figures in order before going too far in the process only to find that the commissioner has rejected their request because of a missed step or oversight.
“They’re all hearing the same thing from me,” Rier said Friday. “To take their time and understand the outcomes before they jump into the withdrawal process.”
I hope these people get just what they want. Orono is a great school K-12 and not having to deal with funding their K-8 schools just so they can go to another high school will be nice. They came in to the RSU and demanded to keep school choice, well that is why there is an issue with budgets, when over 75% of your students do not attend the high school in the RSU it causes less money to go to the budget. They also have had no issue taking the money from the international students that OHS brings in. I hope they do get out and soon.
One has to wonder how many Orono kids would bail out of OHS if given the option of school choice? We agree on one thing….I hope they get out soon too!
I am curious…how many international tuition students does Orono have?
21 at $13000 each which turns out to be $273,000 that is used throughout the RSU. I would also like to think that Glenburn and Veazie would give all the money back if they back out that they got when they leave.
You are wrong, the international monies are used to fund the program, the money is NOT disbursed through out the RSU. Some has been utilized to help OHS students in areas. Folks, please be educated before putting half truths out there.
Maybe you should check your information, the RSU website is very clear about it and it was also discussed at a budget meeting. After the first 8k is paid to the university for room and board the remaining amount is put into the general funds for the RSU.
I would urge you to speak with the OHS Principal who developed the international program (I did). Yes, 8k gets paid to UMO for room and board, and the funds go on a budget line that has been primarily used for the kids in that program as well as growing and developing the program. There have been funds unilized to help a few OHS kids at UMO with opportunities. The board voted in favor of spending $12k out of that budget line for an up coming trip to China for recruitment purposes.
Also, school choice is a state law. All three communities went in to this configuration with their eyes wide open. Glenburn and Veazie had their school choice and K-8 programming. They realized that they would have to put monies in to buildings that had not been properly maintained. That dollar amount stands between $1.5 and 2 million with the majority of the funding going in to the Orono schools. Lets not forget that Glenburn and Veazie receive bills for kids that go to any school other than Orono High.
Orono does have a wonderful school system. The issues that residents are petitioning for is not directly related to the school system in Orono.
Alternative article title: “Quality of Education in Veazie, Glenburn About to Nosedive”.
Nosedive…Really? Veazie/Glenburn BOTH joined this RSU with balanced budgets, new or better than average facilities and money in the bank. In 2.5 short years the “poorly” projected savings of $850k have turned into a $2 million budget shortfall. To balance they recommend cutting teachers, programs and raise town mil rates to cover the difference. What else has happened in 2.5 years….lets see, Orono’s dilapidated facilities have been under constant renovation, (windows, floors, basketball courts, facility sheds and maintenance equipment upgrades, roofing etc) and while most other local high schools decided it was fiscally irresponsible to enter into the 9-12 laptop program, Orono voted to jump right in at significant yearly costs to the RSU.
If my town mil rate has to go up I want the money to be spent in my town. Veazie and Glenburn have little voice in the Orono majority led RSU. Its time to withdraw and SAVE OUR SCHOOLS!
removed
What you are not thinking about is the stimulus money was there and you were spending that and now that it is gone you need to make changes as the money is gone. Do not blame it on Orono it is the budgets of the state and the country. Being in an RSU is about being part of a system not individual towns
Its hard to not blame Orono when their votes carry no matter how another town votes. Its hard to be part of a system when you have no voice or control within the system!
They had a choice 3 years ago, and knew the terms when they voted for it, overall though, please get out of the RSU, the 2 towns are dragging Orono down.
Dragging Orono down…..haha, look in the rear view mirror buddy and check your elitist attitude at the door. I haven’t heard anyone complain about the quality of education in Orono. I am sure we all feel the same about our schools and the great teachers who guide our children.
I remember the early 80’s when OHS was the high school people wanted to
go to. They dominated in sports and the education was second to none.
What happened to those days? Just maybe its that holier than thou attitude after years of “being at the top” that is part of the problem.
The RSU is NOT all about Orono but the majority of budget items in the past 3 years have been directed there. Glenburn and Veazie have no voice…what Orono wants, Orono gets and the rest of us need to find ways to make it work while trying to look out for our own best interests. So far its been take, take, and well, we’re now going to take some more and raise your mill rate when we do it.
Its not a fair system….heck, it was a flawed system when it was forced upon us by Baldacci and Gendron but Glenburn and Veazie jumped in the fire in good faith hoping to make a go of it versus facing severe penalties and loss of funding.
The first year penalty for Glenburn was $108,000 and a possible loss of funding double that if they didn’t press forward in joining an RSU. As a matter of fact, Commissioner Gendron went as far as to say is GOV didn’t happen she would possibly force consolidation with another school district in our back yard and the town felt strongly that was totally the wrong direction for our kids.
Glenburn came in with 100,000 dollar debt that was absorbed by the RSU (i.e., Veazie and Orono residents). Glenburn can have their debt back when they leave. bye-bye
Yet another comment that could use a fact check! All 3 schools came with “debt” that was absorbed when facility ownership and maintenance was transferred to the RSU. Glenburn did not enter the RSU with $100k in debt and no plan to pay for it as you would suggest….that is blatantly false information! The Town of Glenburn (like any responsible town) had money budgeted each year to pay for those projects just as you would pay back a car loan and that money still flows into the RSU.
Reality is under $100k was projected as savings in the first year and $850k was projected as the savings after 3 years. Well its been nearly 3 years we are $2 million in debt unless we cut several jobs and programs. Tough economy or not…this RSU is not working and its time to part ways.
I think the people generationg the petition should read the state law for doing such. I believe that if the petition is done correctly that if it is rejected then it should go to the voters it does not die at their council level there is further guidance if i am not wrong. Also check your charter for the proper procedure it should be in there.
It may be a process designed not to be taken lightly and I believe both communities will do their due dilligence in preparing the withdrawl plan. If you study the budget in length it is very evident that if something does not change, it will be shortfall after shortfall. Eventually there will not be any positions able to be cut in any of the schools and then the taxpayers will feel these “shortfalls” heavily. I do not think anyone is saying that the Orono Schools are not great K-12 education, rather that both Glenburn and Veazie communities were built upon being a “choice” school system and our residents value that. Our property values depend upon that offering in the majority of sales in these communities. It is also a great misinformation to the public that Orono is paying for the students to attend other schools. All tuition costs are separate budget lines in which the town municipality pays that portion, not the RSU. Orono would not receive more funding that would go above the state funding per student (not sure of how much this is at this point… to pay for the nearly 200 HS students from Glenburn and Veazie, which alone would cost more in additional staffing and portables and bussing. I believe if one is to look at the cost per pupil (including what is paid in tuition) you will find Glenburn has the lowest cost of education(about 12,500 per pupil)……yet we are paying more in our “share” of costs because our State Valuation have held or risen. Hardly fair would you say? We too are proud of our K-12 system and want to ensure that we can continue to provide that. The plain truth is that the State bullied the smaller districts into this consolidation deal in fear of penalties. It unfortunately is not working and causing ill will amongst communities. I think several groups of people from various towns should request meetings with the Education Commisioner to let them know what discourse they have caused in the schools. We all want what is best for our kids and our communities. We hold no false hope that taxes will be reduced. Realistically we know that they will continue to rise in all 3 of the communities due to the lack of State and Federal funding which dwindles year after year. No easy fix here, but people are willing to try to find a way to make it better for their respective communities. Hopefully the State will listen to them this time!
Well stated!
Does that mean if Veazie and Glenburn leave the RSU, that teacher salaries will return to the pre-RSU level. Just saying.
School district consolidation was a bs plan by wacky Baldaccy and his henchgoon Gendron…It didn’t save a penny. It was SUPPOSED (cough cough) to cut administrative costs, but the district in which I find myself consolidated, a memo was sent from the new supt. office saying that they were thrilled they had managed to save each and every administrative job by giving people newer and longer titles.
For example: A number of districts came together…each with their own finance person. Now we have four finance people in the new RSU…A Finance Director…An Assistant Finance Director…A K-8 Finance Specialist…and a 9-12 Finance Specialist…and guess who they all are? Yup…The same people as before…and guess how much $$$ they’re making? Yup…More than before.
If you bought and sold that fake bill of goods…return it…just don’t bother asking for your $$$ back.