Before a packed library at the Wiscasset High School Sept. 15, the Wiscasset School Board voted 3 to 2 to close the Wiscasset Primary School, beginning the 2015-2016 school year.
The closure could result in an estimated $785,524 in savings, which is $129,850 more in savings than closing the Wiscasset Middle School, school officials said.
Unless a citizen’s petition is presented to the Wiscasset Board of Selectmen within 30 days, calling for a referendum vote on the board’s decision, the school board’s vote is final.
Wiscasset School Board members Eugene Stover, Steve Smith and Michael Dunn all supported the motion to close the school. Board members Glen Craig and Chelsea Hagget voted in opposition.
In an interview following the meeting, Craig said he supported closing the primary school, but was opposed to the the way the motion was worded. Craig said the wording indicated support for a citizen’s petition, which is not required to make the vote binding.
Wiscasset High School’s Deb Pooler encouraged the board to make the decision to close a school and not pursue a petition because the citizens of Wiscasset entrusted them with the responsibility.
“People are looking to you for leadership,” she said. “We believe you want a good, strong school. It’s not about a building, it’s about educators.”
