Members of the South Bristol and Bristol school committees unanimously voted to withdraw from AOS 93 to form a two-town education service center and approve an interlocal agreement at their meetings on Tuesday, Nov. 4 and Thursday, Nov. 6, respectively.
As of July 1, 2026, South Bristol and Bristol will leave AOS 93 and become Johns Bay Coastal Alliance.
The reorganization effort with AOS 93 began in January 2023. The then-seven member towns of the district – Jefferson, Nobleboro, Bristol, South Bristol, Damariscotta, Bremen, and Newcastle – began exploring different structure options that would reduce inefficiencies and inconsistencies across the district.
In May 2024, Bremen, Damariscotta, and Newcastle – the three towns served by Great Salt Bay Community School in Damariscotta, – decided to leave AOS 93 and form RSU 48. Residents in the three towns voted to approve the reorganization plan the following month during their respective annual town meetings.
Around the same time, Bristol and South Bristol formed the Bristol-South Bristol Reorganization Committee to look into options the schools in both towns had for collaboration.
Concerned with increasing assessments as a result of the new cost-sharing formula for the AOS 93 central office budget, the reorganization committee voted in June to recommend Bristol and South Bristol move forward with a two-town education service center.
The Nov. 4 and Nov. 6 votes come after the Maine Department of Education approved the second of a two-part application from the school committees to form an education service center.
The South Bristol and Bristol committees approved the first part of the application, which informed the DOE of their intent to form a new education service center, during their respective meetings on Aug. 5 and Aug. 11. The DOE accepted the application in September.
The second part of the application required a more in-depth look at how the education service center would operate, including a proposed budget, job descriptions and roles, governance, and more. School committees approved the second part of the application during meetings Oct. 2 and Oct. 7.
According to the approved application, Johns Bay Coastal Alliance will be governed by a board of directors composed of the five school committee members from both towns as well as an executive director and superintendent/curriculum coordinator. A finance clerk, administrative assistant, and special education director will also be hired to the education service center.
Through the education service center, Bristol and South Bristol will share services such as superintendent services, curriculum coordination, financial and business administration, special education administration, and transportation administration.
The cost-sharing formula will be comprised of two parts, according to South Bristol resident and South Bristol School staff member John Armentrout, who co-chairs the restructuring committee with Bristol School Committee member Emile Lugosch.
Fifty percent of the service center budget will be based on the towns’ respective pre-K through 12th grade student populations. The other half of the administrative budget will be split, with South Bristol paying 60% and Bristol paying 40%.
Originally, the two towns were each going evenly split half of the budget, however, as South Bristol has a lower student population, the percentages were adjusted so that the town paid a “more equitable percentage” of the total education service center costs, Armentrout said.
According to Bristol School Committee Chair Darin Carlucci, the restructuring committee, which consists of school employees, committee members, and community members from Bristol and South Bristol, will now dissolve. All members of the Bristol and South Bristol school committees will make up an education service center committee, which will be responsible for hiring for the positions being created with the formation of Johns Bay Coastal Alliance.
“The first thing that will have to happen will be the two school boards will meet as an ESC board and form subcommittees to work on the withdrawal plan,” Armentrout said. “There will be a subcommittee for hiring … and that committee will put job postings up for anticipated openings in the future.”
The first meeting of the education service center committee is yet to be determined; however, AOS 93 Director of Finance and Operations Peter Nielsen said the meeting would happen “ideally before Thanksgiving.”
The AOS 93 Board is in the process of putting together its budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, which will only include Jefferson and Nobleboro. The AOS 93 Board will meet in the central office at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3 to continue its work.
The South Bristol School Committee will meet at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 2 and the Bristol School Committee will meet at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 4. For more information about the ongoing reorganization work, go to aos93.org/o/bcs/page/bcssbs-restructuring.
