The passion surrounding the question of whether to close the Wiscasset Primary School or the Wiscasset Middle School was very clear at a public hearing Thursday, Nov. 20. The public hearing precedes a townwide vote on whether to close the primary school after the current school year comes to a close.
aThe Wiscasset School Board and the Wiscasset Board of Selectmen took questions from residents expressing concern for the students, the teachers, staff, and the taxpayers as to the cost of moving the students, the savings to the taxpayers from closing the primary school, and other impacts of the students being moved.
Wiscasset School Board Chairman Steve Smith told the group no one wants to close a school, but in Wiscasset, with the small school population, the town does not need and cannot afford to support three schools another year.
According to Smith, the savings to the town from the closure of the school would be $787,000 and the cost to prepare the middle school for the younger students would be a one-time cost of about $41,000.
Smith said the K to 3 grades would be located on the ground level in the north wing of the middle school building, and would be using the stairs for lunch only, when being monitored by the staff.
Wiscasset Budget Committee Clifford Hendricks asked if closing a school would mean fewer staff. Interim Superintendent Lyford Beverage said it could mean less staff, but he was hopeful any reductions could take place through attrition.
Ann Leslie asked the school board and the residents of Wiscasset to save the primary school. She said the school’s proximity to The Morris Farm and the Wiscasset Community Center is convenient for the students.
Former Selectman Mike Blagdon asked if there had been any consideration of the property value of the two schools, pointing out that the middle school property is waterfront property, and could be sold and put on the tax rolls. The primary school was built in a swamp and is not as valuable, according to Blagdon. “Has anyone looked into that before we decide what school to close?” Blagdon asked.
Smith said, “No, we haven’t. We are looking into what is best for the kids.”
The question was asked if the town would be permitted to sell the middle school property, since it was donated to the town for educational purposes. Selectman Pam Dunning, who monitored the meeting, said the town had not determined the answer to that question yet.
Blagdon also asked if the town would be held liable under union contracts if teachers’ jobs were lost.
Beverage said there is a clause in the contracts that addresses reductions. “We would have to notify teachers 90 days before the beginning of the school year if they were to be laid off,” Beverage said. “Teachers’ salaries are forced by the budget that is approved by the voters. The school budget is a living, breathing thing.”
The school board chairman was reluctant to honor a request from a resident to have the school principals express their opinions on the school closing, implying they should remain neutral on the issues. Dunning pointed out that the public hearing was called by the selectmen, and the principals would be allowed to speak.
Retired middle school Principal Linda Bleile said, “There is one thing that has been mentioned and that is safety. The middle school can be locked down in 12 to 15 seconds. I love the primary school, but the middle school is safer. It isn’t the building that matters, it’s what happens in the building.”
Current middle school Principal Bruce Scally said, “Children are resilient, they can handle change better than their parents.”
Wiscasset Primary School Principal Mona Schlein said the primary school can also be locked down quickly, and has served the needs of the students effectively and efficiently over the years.
According to a handout provided by the school board outlining the rationale for closing a school, “Security issues concerning the primary school reflect the number of windows and doors that create a difficult crisis response.”
Susan van Alsenoy asked whether, if the town rejects closing the primary school, it would mean Wiscasset would have to support three schools in 2015.
Smith said the board would meet immediately and vote to close the middle school. They would wait 30 days to allow for a citizens’ petition, then another week or two for the selectmen to meet to put it on a referendum, then another month and a half for a referendum vote.
According to Smith, this process could go into March, and there would not be enough time to prepare to close a school. “We would try, but it would be real difficult,” he said. “We hope the town will trust us on this and allow us to move to save money for our taxpayers.”
Residents asked about the future of the high school. Smith said, “The members of this school board are not in favor of closing the high school. If that is what you want, you will have to elect another school board.”
Another resident asked if the selectmen would be willing to take money from the town’s reserve account again to lower taxes if the referendum failed to close the primary school and the town had to keep three schools open.
Dunning said that question could not be answered now. “We cannot answer for another board of selectmen. There will be a new board when that question would come up. I am not running again.”
The school board voted 3-2 Sept. 15 to close the primary school. Members Gene Stover, Michael Dunn, and Smith voted in favor. Glen Craig and Chelsea Haggett opposed the motion.
Wiscasset resident Judy Flanagan asked the board members to indicate if they would vote the same if the vote was taken again.
Smith, Dunn, and Stover said they would not change their vote. Craig said his vote was not in opposition to closing the primary school; he wanted the residents of the town to make the decision, not the five members of the board. Haggett said she would not change her vote.
Smith answered several questions regarding a 2008 report funded by the town indicating it would cost $14 million to upgrade the middle school. Smith said the board had looked at the report, which recommended construction of new wings, which is not needed now due to the decline in school population.
Cindy Gagnon Collamore said, “We elected this board, now we must put our trust in them, and allow them to move forward.”
The voters will go to the polls Tuesday, Dec. 9, at the Wiscasset Community Center, to decide if the primary school will close. Should the voters reject the referendum, the school board will meet Thursday, Dec. 11, to vote on closing the middle school.
