The town of Sebago, examining options to withdraw from Maine School Administrative District 61, has contacted the Gorham School Department about the possibility of sending its middle and high schools there.

Darryl Wright, Gorham School Committee chairman, said last week Gorham has not negotiated yet with Sebago or committed to anything.

“The School Committee would need to have a robust discussion as a group before we would move this very initial conversation forward,” Wright wrote last week in an email to the American Journal.

The Gorham High School Building Committee is currently studying its aging and overcrowded high school and options could include a new building.

Sebago is a member of the same school district as Bridgton, Casco and Naples. The Lakes Region Weekly newspaper reported on Nov. 11 that the Sebago committee has also reached out to School Administrative District 6 (Bonny Eagle).

Lisa Johnson of Sebago’s withdrawal committee said in an email to the American Journal last week that conversations with Gorham are in early stages. She declined further comment.

Gorham Superintendent Heather Perry said on Nov. 7 that a Sebago consultant had reached out to her last spring “to see if Gorham would consider becoming the school of record for Sebago high school students.” The consultant recently contacted Perry again.

Sebago, Perry said, has also reached out to RSU 14 (Windham, Raymond). “The town of Sebago, in order to complete a plan to withdraw must have identified a school of record,” Perry said.

Perry described talk with Sebago at this point as “extremely” preliminary. “I am always open to conversations that might benefit the Gorham School system, so I indicated that yes I was open for a preliminary conversation,” Perry said.

The Lakes Region Weekly reported that Sebago residents voted 335-58 in February to pursue withdrawal from SAD 61, and the town formed a four-member withdrawal committee. But a withdrawal agreement would require approval of at “least two-thirds of Sebago voters,” the Lakes Region Weekly reported.

Gorham High School opened in 1959 and was renovated in 1994 to accomodate 750 students while enrollment on Oct. 20 was 840. Officials say the school is cramped, parking tight, and athletic fields are taking a beating.The school on 23 acres is land-locked.

Perry said the building committee will visit Biddeford High School on Wednesday, Nov. 30.

Gorham property taxpayers could face paying unknown millions for a high school project without benefit of state funds. So, it’s unclear how Sebago would fit into Gorham’s future plans.

“This isn’t even on any of our agendas at this time for those types of discussions as it is very premature in this process,” Wright said.