ROCKLAND, Maine — The Rockland City Council has invited municipal and school officials from the region to attend a Tuesday evening forum concerning the upcoming referendum to have Rockland begin the process of withdrawing from the school district.
The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall.
“The push for withdrawal stems from the Rockland citizens’ frustration with unfulfilled promises of consolidation efficiencies and plans that were never implemented,” according to a news release sent out from Rockland Manager James Chaousis.
The release also referred to a plan proposed earlier this month by RSU 13 Superintendent John McDonald to completely overhaul the school district by closing three school buildings and creating a single high school and a single middle school.
The “optimism of a united and consolidated school district seems to be at our fingertips,” Chaousis stated in the city release. “The plan appears affordable, reasonable and thoughtful but lacking the details needed for comfort. Regardless of these concerns, residents are starting to believe in the administration of the RSU, and the school board, and their ability to control costs while providing a quality education.”
The withdrawal effort and the school overhaul proposal leave Rockland voters at a crossroads, the town manager said.
“As a city official, there is a complicated and unappealing choice of supporting a citizen-led withdrawal initiative or supporting a plan that lacks the level of detail required to instill confidence in our residents that changes are being made,” Chaousis said.
Thus the City Council felt a need to set up the forum “to take a leadership role in addressing the frustration of citizens while working collaboratively with the existing district,” the release concluded.