Regional School Unit 1 will determine the results of a vote on the proposed new cost-sharing formula according to the aggregate vote totals instead of a town-by-town basis, the school unit’s business manager said.
Ruth Moore said that method is the same as the one used by RSU 1 in its annual budget referendums.
The referendum on a proposal to base cost-sharing on a per-pupil basis could come as early as March, Moore said. Polls will be set up in each of the five district towns: Arrowsic, Bath, Phippsburg, West Bath and Woolwich.
Directors on Monday voted unanimously for the new method, to begin in the 2013-14 school year:
There is little time to waste if the school unit wants a spring referendum.
“They want three to five workshops,” Moore said. “Then they have to post the referendum date.”
If the referendum vote goes strictly according to population, it stands a fair chance of passage.
Bath is by far the largest RSU 1 town, and according to a chart produced by RSU 1, school expenses in that town would decrease slightly with the changeover to cost per pupil.
Woolwich is the second-largest town, however, and residents there have voiced opposition to the change. Woolwich residents would sustain a significant cost increase with the new allocation.
Allison Hepler, the town’s representative on the RSU 1 Cost-sharing Committee, said a switchover would have worked better for Woolwich in 2014-15.
“If the RSU board was looking for consensus from the cost-sharing committee, they had it with using cost-perstudent for FY15, because the costsharing committee supported that unanimously,” Hepler said. “I was disappointed that that aspect didn’t carry more weight (Monday) night. That said, I sincerely do think that this formula is fair.”
Hepler was to issue her report on the matter to the Board of Selectmen on Wednesday night.
West Bath residents also would be hit with a hefty cost increase, while Arrowsic and Phippsburg would sustain more modest hikes.
Currently, RSU 1 allocates based one equal thirds of town population, town valuation and enrollment by town.
lgrard@timesrecord.com
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