Administrators in Regional School Unit 71 are proposing to close the Kermit Nickerson Elementary School in Swanville at the end of the school year in an effort to cut costs and streamline its operations.
The district will schedule a community meeting about the potential closure in the coming days, said interim school superintendent Bob England. Swanville voters would have to approve the closure for it to proceed, he said.
The Nickerson school’s 58 students would go to the Captain Albert Stevens School in Belfast next year if the closure happens, England said. The schools are about a 15 minute drive apart.
The administration also is proposing to reduce the number of elementary school principals in the district. Currently three principals oversee five elementary schools, but the administration is proposing to reduce that to a single principal who would oversee four elementary schools.
School board member Corey Seekins said closing the Nickerson school seems to make financial sense. His daughter attended the school which was designed for more than 100 students and now serves around half that number.
“It’s the reality of declining enrollment,” he said.
Laura Baker, a school board member, expressed concern over the quick timeline and lack of community involvement in the decision.
“Having this idea and making it happen in two months without working with the community is a lot,” she said.
England said the idea of closing schools has been floated in previous years.
On Wednesday, an official with behavioral health provider Brett DiNovi & Associates made a presentation to the RSU 71 board about the possibility of leasing the Swanville school building if it becomes vacant.
Elijah Soll, the company’s chief strategy officer, outlined a proposal to lease the Nickerson school building and create a private school that would serve children with behavioral health needs. Currently, the district pays tens of thousands of dollars to send its students with the greatest behavioral health needs to other institutions, some of which are more than an hour away. Soll said he would work with the RSU to provide these services locally and at a lower cost.