RAYMOND – The Raymond Board of Selectmen and the Regional School Unit 14 Board of Directors have established a four-person committee that will explore Raymond’s withdrawal from the school district.

Raymond residents Joe Bruno, Teresa Sadak, Jennifer Moore and Kaitlin LaCasse will make up the committee, which must include one member of the Raymond Board of Selectmen, one representative from the group that started the withdrawal effort, one school board member, and one member of the general public, according to state rules.

On Tuesday night, the selectmen appointed Bruno as the board’s representative, and Kaitlin LaCasse, who served as the assistant manager of Eliot Cutler’s recent gubernatorial campaign, as the representative from the general public. Sadak, who has pioneered the withdrawal effort, appointed herself, and the school board appointed Moore.

Raymond and Windham consolidated in 2008. In a 1,324-940 vote on Nov. 4, Raymond voters authorized town officials to send a petition to initiate the withdrawal process to the school board and the commissioner of education.

The formation of the committee represents the seventh of 22 state-mandated steps required to withdraw from the school district. During the next several months, the withdrawal committee will negotiate a withdrawal agreement with the RSU 14 school board, and then submit the agreement to the state commissioner of education.

The new withdrawal committee was expected to appoint a larger subcommittee at its Thursday, Dec. 18, meeting to research the logistics of a Raymond withdrawal.

The selectmen received six applications for the withdrawal committee. In addition to LaCasse, Raymond residents David Cowens, Steve Warshaw, and state Rep. Mike McClellan applied for a position on the committee, as well as Windham residents Steve Pock and Tacy Hartley, who owns land in Raymond.

At the Tuesday meeting, Chairman Michael Reynolds said that he wanted to create as “diverse a group as possible.”

Sadak nominated LaCasse, who has a 1-year-old son, Charlie, for the position of general public representative.

“She has a young family,” Sadak said. “I think families in this town can relate to her.”

In response, Selectman Lonnie Taylor suggested that McClellan’s political experience would be an asset for the committee.

“Do you feel that someone with experience at the state level, like what Mike would offer, would be a major bonus?” Taylor said. “He was definitely a candidate in my eyes.”

But Sadak said she had concerns about McClellan’s availability.

“I think my concern about Mike is his hands are busy,” she said. “If you’ve got a panel of four, you have to have them at every committee.”

The board eventually voted unanimously to appoint LaCasse and Bruno, who said he might not be able to attend some meetings, due to scheduling conflicts.

“I was on the consolidation committee,” Bruno said. “I kind of remember the whole history of this thing. As long as you’re willing to work around my schedule, I’ll do it.”

The board also agreed not to consider Windham residents for either the main withdrawal committee or the larger subcommittee.

“How would that benefit Raymond people, if we have a Windham person on there?” Taylor said.

According to Sadak, the withdrawal committee will meet again in January.

The Raymond Board of Selectmen Tuesday night appointed Joe Bruno, third from right, to the committee that will investigate the possibility of Raymond’s withdrawal from Regional School Unit 14. Teresa Sadak, left, will also serve on the four-person committee.