BUXTON – The new Buxton Elementary School opened last fall, consolidating four elementary school buildings, including the adjacent Jewett-Hanson elementary school complex.

Now, plans are to use the vacant Jewett school in Buxton Center for special education students from Sebago Alliance, a collaborative effort with School Administrative District 6, Gorham, Scarborough, Westbrook and Raymond. The move will leave an empty school building in Gorham.

Superintendent Suzanne Lukas of School Administrative District 6 said its board of trustees has approved leasing the Jewett school to Sebago Alliance.

Sebago Alliance will shift its program in September from the small Little Falls School in Gorham to the larger Jewett school in Buxton. Gorham Superintendent Ted Sharp said this week the program had outgrown Little Falls School.

The brick Frank Jewett Elementary School opened in 1957 and an addition was built three decades later.

“What began several years ago as a middle school program will now be able to expand to a kindergarten through Grade 12 program given the much larger space of the Jewett school,” Sharp said about the alliance program.

Sebago Alliance has been using Little Falls School on a year-by-year basis and the move to Buxton will leave the Little Falls School empty. Gorham Town Manager David Cole said Tuesday that town voters authorized seeking a federal grant to convert the Little Falls School into a fire station, but the grant was unsuccessful.

Gorham fire Chief Robert Lefebvre said this week such a plan would have closed fire stations at White Rock and South Windham.

“No question, it’s an option that is viable,” Lefebvre said about the possible reuse of the Little Falls School.

“That is still the long range plan at this time,” Cole said. “ The town would also consider using it for recreation programs in the short term. The town would also consider any other viable options.”

The Gorham School Department last used Little Falls, which opened in the middle 1950s, as a school in the fall of 2003 for sixth-grade students before the new Gorham Middle School opened. Little Falls had previously served as an elementary school and later as a kindergarten.