Voters in Holden, Eddington and Clifton will decide in November if one of the school district’s buildings should close.
The Regional School Unit 63 School Board, which represents the three towns, voted 6-2 on closing the Eddington Elementary School in April, saying it would be more fiscally responsible for the district to consolidate into two buildings because of its shrinking enrollment. The Maine Department of Education approved the plans last week, sending the proposal to voters in November.
RSU 63 has debated closing one of its schools for years, but a vote in November will be the first time residents will decide if the building should be shuttered. Multiple districts in Maine are proposing similar plans to cut costs as enrollment drops.
Closing Eddington Elementary would save the district $669,950, according to the district’s reports.
“Things have to change, and we need to be fiscally responsible, and that’s really what this board is trying to do — to make a decision that’s best for everyone,” Vice Chair Amy Hart said in April.
The school’s proposed closure date is July 1, 2027.
The school board and district staff have compiled data showing closing the Eddington Elementary School and consolidating students to the Holden Elementary School and Holbrook Middle School would allow the district to maintain its services while cutting expenses, School Board Chair Rachel Downs said.
“If we have empty classrooms and rooms that aren’t being utilized, does it make sense to keep a building open if we can consolidate the kids into two buildings and save money and have it not impact the services that the kids are going to receive?” Downs said.
If the school were to close, students enrolled at Eddington would be split between the Holden and Holbrook schools. Holden School will hold pre-K through second grade and Holbrook School will house third through eighth grade.
It’s hard to tell resident’s thoughts on the proposed closing, Downs said. The issue has been discussed for years, but people are still unsure about the changes, she said.
Informing voters through School Board meetings until November is going to be important, because not every voter understands the plans or financial implications the vote could bring, Downs said.
If voters decide to keep the school open, the district won’t receive funding for the $669,000 needed to keep the school open because a “lack of need report” has been filed by the school district and accepted by the state, Downs said.
Residents of the three towns should not be concerned about changes students would experience, Downs said. Students will be on the bus less, services will be the same and students will only have to change schools once instead of twice, Downs said.
“I can certainly understand and respect why people would have some concerns with the school being closed,” she said.
RSU 63 Superintendent Sheila Caldwell, who has been compiling and sending reports to the state, did not respond to a request for comment.
During the school board’s April vote, two of the roughly 60 people in attendance spoke about the proposal. Both were against the closure. One resident, Susan McKay, said Eddington would not be important to the district anymore if the school closed.
Holbrook Middle School and Holden Elementary School are both in Holden. Clifton does not have a school in its town.
Holden residents could single-handedly close the school. There are 3,200 Holden residents while Clifton and Eddington have 3,000 combined.
Multiple Eddington residents said in April the community would be passionate about keeping the school open because it’s part of their identity. Eddington School Board member Brittany Wood said her town’s residents have a chance of keeping the school open if they take time to share their thoughts with Holden residents.
Downs, also a school board member from Eddington, said she’s heard people from her community both for and against the proposal.
“I’ve heard people in favor of it that live out here, and I’ve heard people not in favor of it, so I honestly don’t know. I think that the best thing is going to be to get the information out and have people be aware of what they’re voting for,” Downs said.