About 20 Westport Island residents gathered at the historic town hall for a public hearing on terminating the RSU 12 withdrawal process May 27. The public hearing was the result of a citizens’ petition circulated by resident Richard DeVries, a member of the town’s withdrawal committee and a member of the Sheepscot Valley Regional School Unit Board of Directors.
The petition asks the voters to discontinue the withdrawal process as of June 10 instead of waiting for the completion of a withdrawal agreement between the town, the RSU, and the commissioner of education that would be ready for Westport Island voters in November.
The voters are being asked to terminate the process without knowing what the content of the withdrawal agreement will be. DeVries opened the meeting with a presentation of the RSU 12 budget, showing a decrease of $139,627 for Westport Island’s 2015 assessment. He said the reason the town had voted to withdraw nearly two years ago was because of the cost. “That problem no longer exists,” DeVries said.
The meeting at times became very heated, with residents not getting the answers they felt they were entitled to. Resident Bill Hopkins asked why they could not be told the alternatives now if the withdrawal plan is nearly complete. Selectman Gerald Bodmer, the chairman of the town’s withdrawal committee, said the meeting was to discuss terminating the process. If the town votes to terminate the process, that will be the end of it. “Why would you want to take the choice of withdrawing away from the people?” Bodmer asked.
When the exchange of words between Bodmer and Hopkins became heated, Selectman George Richardson hit the gavel, and suggested other questions be accepted from other residents.
Withdrawal committee member Dennis Dunbar explained to the voters that there is no withdrawal agreement until the RSU and commissioner of education agree on it.
Richardson asked how many present had children in school. There were no parents at the public hearing. “We need to get the parents involved,” Dunbar said.
Resident Joe Donahue spoke in favor of the June 10 vote to terminate the process, however, he did say that perhaps the town should look at alternatives other than RSU 12. Dunbar said the town “can’t look at other alternatives, and other alternatives are out there, until the town votes to withdraw.”
RSU board member Sandra Crehore spoke in favor of terminating the process. Being an educator herself, it is her opinion that the RSU is doing very well by the students and by the town. She said for many years, Westport Island had no input on the school system where their students went to school. By being members of the RSU, Westport Island has representation on the RSU board. One resident pointed out that Wiscasset had withdrawn from the RSU, and the town would still have no representation on the school board where their students would be attending school if the town stayed in the RSU or withdrew.
DeVries said the RSU would be responsible for wherever their students choose to go to school.
There was some discussion on the June 10 vote not being a true representation of the people on the island, since many more voters are expected to turn out for the November election.
DeVries explained to the voters that if the vote in November is against withdrawal, the town would have to wait for two years before it could restart the process should there be some reason the town would want to withdraw. By terminating the process now, should a problem occur, the town could start the process immediately.
On June 12, 2012, the voters of Westport Island voted 152-70 to begin the withdrawal process. The education cost for Westport Island students had increased significantly as a result of a cost-sharing formula in the original 2008 consolidation agreement. Due to pressure from Westport Island and Alna to correct the formula, the RSU changed the cost-sharing formula, which has reduced the costs for Westport Island.
Bodmer told the voters once the withdrawal plan has been accepted by the necessary parties, there will be a public hearing to inform the voters on the pros and cons of withdrawing from the RSU. “I would like the voters to have that opportunity,” he said.