Maine news, sports, weather from Waterville Morning Sentinel

CORNVILLE — Voters: Keep closed school

By Doug Harlow dharlow@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

CORNVILLE -- Voters in a three-part referendum Tuesday agreed to keep the water and heating systems running at the closed Cornville Elementary School on West Ridge Road and to not sell the land, contents and buildings.

Residents also declined to authorize the Board of Selectmen to explore options to establish a charter school there, saying there is already a committee in place to do that.

Town Clerk Evelyn Wood said the votes were close Tuesday, illustrating how divided the town is on the question of the future of the closed elementary school.

"It was very close," she said. "There's two sides in the town. The town is warring over whether to keep the school heated or not."

Melvin Blaisdell, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, could not be reached for comment on the vote Wednesday.

Dustin Belanger, an active member of the committee called Friends of Cornville Regional Charter School, said the vote Tuesday was good news for the community. He said the group now awaits passage in the Legislature of a bill authorizing charter schools in Maine.

"I really think that (the vote) shows that the people of Cornville are behind the idea of a charter school and there is a need," Belanger said. "The people came out and said they wanted to keep that building open and they want a charter school here -- we've got the majority of the town's backing and support. I'm really happy with that."

A charter school is one that receives public money -- state, local and federal -- but is created and operated by local parents, teachers and community leaders, free of the rules and regulations of the area school district. Charter schools are public schools, open to all regional students with no tuition fees or admissions tests.

Belanger said local taxes will not increase with a charter school. All district schools would be funded as they are now with the "money following the child," he said.

The Cornville school was closed by the Skowhegan-based School Administrative District 54 board and a town vote in June 2010. There were 95 students enrolled there in kindergarten through grade 6.

At the annual town meeting in March, Cornville residents voted to appropriate $25,000 per year from surplus for the next two years to maintain the building. Tuesday's referendum was necessary because the questions were brought to the town by petition, which mandates a pubic ballot vote.

Belanger and fellow committee member Sam Jencks said the townspeople felt that the committee should deal with the charter school issue, not selectmen.

"We still want a charter school -- this is the third vote on this whole thing," Jencks said Wednesday. "We voted in November to keep the building; we voted in March to fund it."

Jencks said there are fundraising efforts under way to help pay for the upkeep of the building, including a family game night, planned yoga and dance classes, recreation department basketball games this summer and requests for wedding receptions and concerts.

Doug Harlow -- 474-9534

dharlow@centralmaine.com