A school facilities plan is drawing protests from some parents and residents, who worry that sending their children to school in other towns could divide their community.

“The way it’s presented now, it can only divide the community,” said Naples Selectman Rick Paraschak Monday. “This is the only town this move is going to affect.”

Paraschak was responding to the School Administrative District 61 proposed facilities plan, which would send some children who live in Naples to school in Sebago or Bridgton next school year. The savings found by reducing facilities would finance renovations at Lake Region High School and Vocational Center.

If SAD 61 officials go forward with the plan, residents of Casco and Naples will have a chance to vote on it. However, if those towns turned down the proposal, they would have to shoulder the cost of the projected savings.

Representatives from the SAD 61 Facilities Committee and school administration will meet in each town to present the long-term facilities plan and to listen to residents. The meetings will take place Jan. 29 at 6 p.m. at the Sebago Elementary School, Feb. 3 at 6 p.m. at Crooked River Elementary School in Casco, Feb. 5 at 6 p.m. at Songo Locks School in Naples and Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. at Stevens Brook Elementary School in Bridgton.

The plan lays out a series of closings and renovations between 2009 and 2017. One of first steps would be to return Bridgton Memorial School to the town. The school currently houses adult education programs.

Crooked River Elementary School in Casco would be converted to house adult education and office space. Students in kindergarten through fifth grade would attend the remaining three elementary schools – Songo Locks in Naples, Sebago Elementary and Stevens Brook Elementary in Bridgton. This would move 42 Naples students to Stevens Brook and 25 to Sebago Elementary.

Also during the first three years of the plan, the district would build a new transportation and automotive and green energy vocational facility and begin renovations to the vocational center and high school.

In 2014-2015 a new wing would be added to Songo Locks School to prepare for students to be consolidated into two schools for kindergarten through fifth grade students: Songo Locks and Stevens Brook. Sebago Elementary School would be returned to the town in 2015-2016.

Parents, town managers, recreation directors and others commented on the draft facilities plan Jan. 22 during a SAD 61 Board of Directors meeting. Some Naples and Sebago parents were unhappy about the idea of sending their children out of town for school.

“If I wanted my child to go to school in Sebago or Bridgton, I would live there,” said Beth Chaplin, a Naples mother of three. She asked how her son would participate in town recreation programming if he were going to school in Sebago.

But retired teacher Barbara Mayo of Bridgton said consolidating services is good for students. “I’m very impressed with this plan,” Mayo said.

Redistricting would save money and ensure six years of continuous education – kindergarten through fifth grade – said Superintendent Patrick Phillips. Currently, students from Casco and Naples attend Songo Locks School until third grade and Crooked River Elementary in fourth and fifth grades.

SAD 61 has already closed Casco Memorial School and is in the process of turning the building over to the town. Next on the list for closing is Bridgton Memorial School, which will be turned over to the town during the next school year. Also part of the facilities plan, all district sixth-graders were moved to Lake Region Middle School this year, which has freed up some space in the elementary schools.

The reduction in facilities is meant to make up for decreasing state subsidies and to pay for a new bus garage and renovations to the high school and vocational center. Planned improvements also include adding a wing to Songo Locks School to increase the school’s capacity to take in students from Sebago.

The 10-year savings projections for the plan is estimated at $5.35 million, and the planned improvements are expected to cost $6.5 million.

“I would much rather come up with a plan that looks at facilities first (instead of programs and services),” Phillips said.

Andrew Madura, director of transportation, facilities and food service for the district, said a new bus garage and renovations to the high school and vocational center are crucial to the school’s reaccredidation. These renovations would include building a new bus garage with space for the automotive and green energy programs and moving students out of two modular classrooms.

“That’s a big cornerstone of the facilities plan,” Phillips said, adding that he didn’t foresee receiving state money for the renovations.

SAD 61 Board of Directors members were split on the issue.

Naples representative Janice Barter said she was opposed to the plan. “For students I think it is a shame,” Barter said, adding that it goes contrary to the school board’s goal to increase parent communication and involvement.

Sebago Board Member Richard Merritt said he agreed with the plan up to the point of closing Sebago Elementary School in 2015-2016 for a savings of only $120,000 a year.

Michael Skarbinski of Naples, however, encouraged the board to think as a district, as opposed to splitting based on town lines.

“Is it the right thing to do to have schools at a third of their capacity in this economy?” Skarbinski asked. “We have to become a community for our children.”