LINCOLN, Maine — The central office of the Lincoln-area school system will relocate to remodeled portable classrooms at Ella P. Burr School by September at an estimated cost of about $80,000, officials said Wednesday.
Voters in Chester and Mattawamkeag approved allocating about $100,000 from school reserve funds to buy the current office at 57 Main St., but Lincoln voters rejected the proposal. Chester voted yes 24-6 and Mattawamkeag 22-10, while Lincoln voters opposed the plan 121-114 in voting on June 9, respectively. Lincoln’s opposition effectively killed the purchase, officials said.
“It’s a tough situation because the people who want to work in the office want one thing and the people [voters] want another thing,” RSU 67 board member Katie Clay, who represents Lincoln, said Wednesday.
The move from the office, which the school system leases, will start next month, RSU 67 Superintendent Keith Laser said.
“Nobody likes moving, but if that’s the decision the board made, we fully support it and will do what we need to do,” Laser said.
The estimated $80,000 will cover the move and remodeling. The portable classrooms previously housed the fourth-graders at Ella Burr. Those students will be relocated to Mattanawcook Junior High School in September.
The move was facilitated by a decline in the number of students at RSU 67 schools that has occurred over several years. Since the 2009-10 school year, the student population has dropped from 1,209 to 1,055 this past year, according to the latest statistics available at the Department of Education website devoted to RSU 67.
The Main Street administrative office is owned by David Wright, who could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon. The office is located adjacent to the town office. The school board has occupied the 4,465-square-foot building since 2005.