OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Although there are currently no plans for a new school building, school officials are laying the groundwork to prepare for that possibility in the future.
At Tuesday night’s school board meeting, Superintendent Lloyd Crocker said the district will likely be looking to get support for a new school “down the road.”
Crocker said he and school board member Peter Flaherty had spoken with the state Department of Education’s Director of School Facilities Scott Brown to discuss the process of getting state funding for a new school, should they wish to in the future.
The window for new applicants seeking state funding for school construction has been closed since 2010, said Crocker. Although Brown would not say when the process would open again, Crocker said Brown gave him reason to be optimistic that the window would open again in 2016.
“That would actually be very timely,” he said, as it would give the facilities committee time to do any legwork and prepare an application.
The board voted to authorize Crocker to seek a proposal for an architectural study as the first steps in laying the groundwork for a new building. Crocker said should the board approve a study at a future date, it would likely cost in the vicinity of $25,000 to $50,000.
The board also elected Carol Marcotte as chairwoman and Jerome Plante as vice chairman. It also voted to add a student member to the board, electing Old Orchard Beach High School senior Abby Dubois to fill the slot.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.
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