School Union 96, straddling Washington and Hancock counties, might seem a prime candidate for cost-saving consolidation. But these things are never simple. When Gouldsboro found mold in its school, the solution was to move pupils to Winter Harbor, where the student population had plummeted following the closure of the Schoodic Point naval base.
The Winter Harbor school is now too crowded and the mold problem bumped Gouldsboro to third on Maine’s priority list for new school construction. A new consolidated K-8 school will be built in a central location.
Union 96 Superintendent Donald LaPlante can’t move forward, however, until he hears from two other towns that might join the school. The state has asked the Steuben school board to consider shutting down their school and joining the new school.
Consolidation is such an emotional issue in Steuben that the school board already lost a member because of the stress of it. To fill the seat, 15-year school board veteran Emory West returned to the board.
West says the state has offered financial savings and incentives in favor of consolidation, but the small-school atmosphere is worth more than that. “It’s not all about saving money, it’s about the kids,” he said.
The other town in flux is Franklin, a town with a school department, a bus system and a superintendent, but no school. The town is part of Union 96 for its 9-12 grade students, but actually not part of any union for K-8. The town tuitions its children to other schools.
This last year, Franklin began preliminary discussions with a neighboring school board about rejoining Union 96 and being part of the new consolidated school. A vote is not near, however.
Unique circumstances aside, many feel the underlying reason behind the flux within Union 96 is educational costs. Small coastal communities are being asked by the state to carry more of the financial burden of education.
Union 96 communities are simultaneously grappling with declining student enrollment and rising property values. As coastal land becomes a greater commodity, property values skyrocket. As the local property tax base increases, state aid to schools decreases.