FRENCHVILLE, Maine — The Madawaska School Department voted Wednesday to send all its students to a proposed new regional school in Frenchville.
During a joint meeting with MSAD 33, the board amended its original decision to send grades six through 12 to the proposed school that will replace the Dr. Levesque School and Wisdom Middle-High School, opting instead to have all grades join the district.
Local voters would still need to approve both the regionalization of both districts and the new school project itself at separate referendums in order for these changes to take place.
MSAD 33 was selected as just one of two in Maine to be approved for a new state-funded facility. It and RSU 1, which serves Bath, Arrowsic, Woolwich and Phippsburg, were selected because both projects will replace facilities lost to a fire. The Dr. Levesque Elementary School burned down five years ago.
Madawaska and MSAD 33, neighboring districts, had a chance several years ago to align with Fort Kent-based MSAD 27 and to get a new state-funded regional school. This project, however, failed due to disagreements in MSAD 27 about the location of the school and the district paying more, based on its population, without having more voting power.
But with a new opportunity for a combined school, Madawaska school officials are exploring joining MSAD 33 as a unified district so students in the region have the opportunity to access a brand new facility.
At first, the Madawaska school board had voted to just send grades six through 12 to the new facility. Madawaska’s elementary school was built in 1995, but its high school was built in 1948.
After hearing feedback from other board members and town officials during the meeting, the Madawaska board approved all students attending classes at this new building.
MSAD 33 board Chair Joshua Desjardins emphasized the importance of thinking beyond town lines and looking at the benefits that a shared school would have to all communities.
If Madawaska proceeded by only sending its middle and high school students to the new building, Desjardins said that by the time it is built that 30-year-old elementary school may begin to see problems.
“If you want this to pass, it has to be all or nothing,” he said. “That’s what’s going to get all three towns to work together.”
Several residents from both communities attended the meeting, including Madawaska Town Manager David Daigle, who was asked to comment and expressed approval of regionalization. He said the residents all share the same heritage, culture and language, and if they can get beyond where the school is located to focus on what will benefit the students, then everyone can benefit.
“If there is a brand new school system that is top-notch technology-wise and it’s meeting the students of tomorrow, I just can’t imagine anything that would supersede that,” Daigle said.
MSAD 33 and Madawaska Superintendent Ben Sirois said during the meeting that a November referendum is planned for residents to vote on reorganizing the districts.