Edgecomb School Committee members met with some staff and town selectmen Jan. 5 to discuss the possibility of adding grades 7 and 8 into the Edgecomb Eddy School’s K-6 structure. Committee members also approved filing a notice of intent to form an Alternative Organizational Structure (AOS) with Georgetown, Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor and Southport during their Jan. 5 School Board meeting.
The school will host a public hearing on Tues., Feb. 9 at 6:30 p.m., following the 5 p.m. School Board meeting, to discuss the possibility of including the two additional grades. As described by School Board Chairman Stephen Ward, the purpose of Tuesday’s meeting with board members and selectmen was to act as a preview for the public meeting on Feb. 9.
Those in attendance generally supported the idea, while at the same time expressed some concerns they wanted addressed.
“I really feel we have to hear from the town’s people as to how they feel,” board member Dirk Poole said, adding he is in favor of the idea and would have liked to see his children continue on at the school after completing grade six.
Selectmen and other board members around the room mirrored Poole’s comments. Selectman Stuart Smith, who has a child attending the Edgecomb Eddy School, said the only challenge they face is financial. He said taxpayers would support the idea, especially if it would save the town some money.
Selectman Jack Sarmanian said the school’s reputation speaks for itself. He said it is a great opportunity, which can be realized through the same creativity that brought about the school’s construction.
Selectman John Johnson said they should consider the age and psychology of the older students. Madeleine Onley, a part time counselor at the school, agreed with Johnson.
“There is a very different culture when you bring in the seventh and eighth graders,” she said, adding the older students strive to move on after so many years in one setting. “They set the tone for the school.”
Smith added the town is in a tough position financially. It needs a new fire department building, which he said would cost less to build than to continue maintaining the current structure. Selectmen have said the building is in rough shape and they did not expect it to last past next winter.
“There are things coming down the pike,” Smith said. “We’re probably going to have to cut back on road maintenance.”
Sarmanian, in line with Smith’s comments, added he has researched grant funding for the town without much luck and said, “It’s a very different year.” He said there ought to be a platform where parties can share the burdens of cost and meet somewhere in the middle.
Ward said there are both positive and negative aspects to the prospect that need to be explored, but added he was very much in favor of the school adding the two grades. Ward said the public meeting is important in that it should involve all of the potential stakeholders; first and foremost in the list of importance are the students, followed by concerns of the parents and taxpayers.
“This school has a reputation for being one of the best schools in the state of Maine, and if anyone can do it, we can,” he said.
Ward said taxpayers could be looking at a potential savings of up to roughly $200,000 per year in school budget costs. Board members are concerned about state subsidy cuts affecting quality of education down the road. Expanding the school’s grade levels and increasing the population would spread out the burden and cut down on costs associated with student education in other schools.
“We have the space and the opportunity to create something magnificent for the students,” School Union 49 Superintendent Eileen King said.
Ward said the school board would make a decision on the matter, but it would be up to taxpayers to determine a budget. They are looking at a budget validation vote 10 days before town meeting (which has historically been the third Sunday in May, according to Smith). Ward said there could be a second election later than the town meeting, the cost of which would be paid for by the state. A decision for next year would need to be made by April 1.
According to a letter sent out to parents, the school would phase in the two grades over two years, so grade 7 students who have already left Edgecomb Eddy would continue into grade 8 at their new schools.
