The South Bristol School Board voted in favor of proceeding with the process of applying to withdraw from AOS 93 and create a two-town education service center, or ESC, with Bristol during a board meeting Tuesday, Aug. 5.
School board member Christian Cotz presented the restructuring committee’s proposal that outlined the process of the withdrawal and formation of the new organization. He said the goal of creating the education service center would be to obtaining more local control and a fairer cost-sharing arrangement.
“Prior to (Great Salt Bay) leaving, we were part of a philosophically aligned majority in the AOS when it came to education, and we steered a course between those towns that prioritized education over cost savings,” said Cotz. “We don’t have that ability anymore because Bristol and South Bristol are now in the minority, and we don’t have that voting power, even though the money we’re paying into the AOS is growing every year.”
According to Cotz, the reorganization effort in Lincoln County with AOS 93 began in January of 2023. The then-seven member towns of the district – which included Jefferson, Nobleboro, Bristol, South Bristol, Damariscotta, Bremen, and Newcastle – proposed, at the time, creating a larger ESC that central office staff said would make services more efficient and save money for members.
While South Bristol and Bristol later voted to join the proposed education service center, Nobleboro and Jefferson did not, and that original restructuring proposal failed. When Bremen, Damariscotta, and Newcastle later formally withdrew from AOS 93 to create a new RSU on July 1, 2025, South Bristol, Bristol, Jefferson, and Nobleboro remained members of a smaller AOS.
This shift led to the shifting dynamics Cotz said the restructuring plan he outlined on Aug. 5 would seek to address from South Bristol’s perspective.
Cotz said that South Bristol could face lower costs compared to the current AOS expenses if the plan moves forward. They would also have more freedom to customize their services, he said.
The withdrawal could be one step along the way toward eventually creating an RSU with South Bristol and Bristol, said school board member Jonathan Swall.
The next meeting of the South Bristol School Board will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 2 at the South Bristol School.
(LCN reporter Molly Rains contributed to this article.)
(Updated Friday, Aug. 8: An earlier version of this article online and on Page 1 of the Thursday, Aug. 7 edition was titled “South Bristol School Board Votes in Favor of AOS 93 Withdrawal.” The title was updated to reflect that the board has not yet formally voted to leave AOS 93.)
