The Brunswick School Board has agreed to accept Durham and Pownal students at its high school if Freeport withdraws from Regional School Unit 5.

The board voted unanimously Wednesday to have Brunswick High School become the school of guaranteed acceptance for Regional School Unit 5 students, if Freeport – home of that district’s high school – becomes a stand-alone school system, said Brunswick Superintendent Paul Perzanoski.

Board member Jim Grant abstained from voting because he works for RSU 5.

Under a withdrawal agreement, given conditional approval by the state education commissioner last week, Freeport High School would continue to take Durham and Pownal students up to the school’s capacity of 500 students.

Last year, 515 students attended Freeport High, with 326 from Freeport, 131 from Durham and 58 from Pownal.

Perzanoski said the Brunswick School Department has lost significant revenue over the past decade because of a drop in enrollment from about 1,150 to 780 students as a result of the closure of the Brunswick Naval Air Station and the formation of RSU 5.

Before the consolidation, Durham students attended Brunswick High School, he said. Perzanoski said the Brunswick Town Council would have to approve the contract with RSU 5 for Brunswick High School to accept the out-of-town students.

He said that vote probably wouldn’t happen until after Freeport’s referendum in November on whether to start the withdrawal process.

The RSU 5 board is scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to set an Aug. 26 public hearing on the withdrawal agreement.

Leslie Bridgers can be contacted at 791-6364 or at:

lbridgers@pressherald.com

Twitter: @lesliebridgers