Maine news, sports, weather from Waterville Morning Sentinel

Schools caught in 'perfect storm'

Small towns struggling with costs, enrollment

By Scott Monroe smonroe@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

Tight budgets, looming cuts in state aid and declining student enrollment.

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Burnham Village School kindergarten students join Manson Park School students at they file into the Pittsfield school recently.

Staff photo by David Leaming

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Enrollment falls for a decade
Total student counts at Maine public schools, as of Oct. 1 of each year, and the change in enrollment compared with the previous year. The data show that public school enrollment statewide has decreased about 12 percent from 1999 to 2009.

Year    Enrollment        Change
1999    214,985    -1,136 (-.53%)
2000    212,951    -2,034 (-.95%)
2001    211,067    -1,884 (-.88%)
2002    209,746    -1,321 (-.63%)
2003    207,468    -2,278 (-1.09%)
2004    204,712    -2,756 (-1.33%)
2005    201,912    -2,800 (1.37%)
2006    197,772    -4,150 (-2.05%)
2007    194,232    -3,540 (-1.79%)
2008    190,546    -3,686 (-1.90%)
2009    189,140    -1,406 (-.74%)

Source: Maine Department of Education

Faced with those issues, officials in School Administrative District 3 are exploring the possibility of closing one of the eight schools in the Unity-based district.

It's a familiar scenario. Given the choice, local school officials are opting to shutter costly buildings and move students into other spaces, rather than cutting school jobs and programs.

As a new school year starts, five schools in central Maine are no longer operating because of closure votes earlier this year. In November, voters in Oakland will consider closing the Ralph Atwood Primary School.

The decision to close a school building often seems driven largely by budget cuts and an attempt not to raise taxes, but several other factors come into play, according to Heather Perry, superintendent of schools for SAD 3.

"It's like a perfect storm; that's why we're seeing it all over the state," Perry said. "One reason is certainly budget cuts at the state level. And enrollment declines. A large factor is trying to think about education differently in the state and asking the question, 'Is there a better way to do what we need to do for our kids?'

"Those three conditions are hitting us all at once and it's making boards step back and take stock in what they have."

Perry said her district board isn't rushing into a decision about closing a school and could take a year or more of research as information is gathered and many people -- including area residents -- are consulted.

SAD 3 has seen an average decline of 20 students per year for the last several years, Perry said, and currently has about 1,450 students. Last year, school officials trimmed about $630,000 from its budget because of reductions in state aid, and they're expecting to face a similar shortfall next year.

"Given the economic times, it's reasonable to consider," Perry said. "Schools need to be thinking of budget cuts, not just because of revenue cuts at the state level, but also what's happening with their tax base. People are struggling. So, it's a good time to think more efficiently."

The schools already closed this year are: Burnham Village School, Cornville Elementary School, Embden Elementary School, Palmyra Consolidated School and Starks Elementary School.

In 2009, using the latest statistics available from the Maine Department of Education, 14 Maine public schools were closed. Among them was the New Portland Elementary School, part of School Administrative District 74.

The statistics, updated on May 11, don't account for any of the school closures in central Maine this year.

David Connerty-Marin, spokesman for the education department, cited declining student enrollment as a driving cause of school closures. According to enrollment data from the department, Maine had 214,985 students in its public schools in 1999, compared with 189,140 in 2009, a decrease of 12 percent.

The department roughly estimates there were about 250,000 students in Maine public schools during the "early 1970s," meaning statewide enrollment has steadily dropped about 24 percent since then.

As a result, school districts are looking at the benefit of maintaining the same number of school buildings and "trying to make their educational dollars work," he said.

"Emotionally, it's never an easy thing to do," Connerty-Marin said of school closures. "But we're in tight times -- no question -- and districts are going to look at that."

Closure consequences

Burnham Village School was the first area school approved for closure by voters this year.

As a result of the school's closure, kindergarten students now go to the Manson Park School and first-grade students who attended Manson now go to the Vickery School -- both of which are in Pittsfield.

In addition, the district decided to move out of its central office building on Route 152 and into offices at Warsaw Middle School in Pittsfield. The central office building and 1.34 acres is now for sale at $129,900.

Michael Gallagher, superintendent of Pittsfield-based School Administrative District 53, said during the first week of school that the building closures and people-shuffling has a silver lining: students seem to be doing well in the new buildings and administrative staff enjoy the change.

"It's actually a great location for us -- it's nice to be in school together and walk out the doorway and interact with kids and teachers," Gallagher said. "We are full; we're utilizing all of our classrooms. I don't think we're overcrowded, though."

But as with the Burnham Village School, the closing of Cornville Elementary School signaled for many residents a sad loss of a cherished community school. For Cornville, the school's closure marks the first time in more than 200 years the town has been without its own school.

Local school closures have also fractured communities and ignited debates about school governance.

On June 8, residents voted to close Embden Elementary School. Then in late July, more than 60 residents gathered to discuss options for the school. Suggestions ranged from seceding from the school district and forming their own, independent school, to selling the former school building immediately. They decided to form a 12-person committee to evaluate the options and later hold a special meeting to vote on the building's future use.

A similar situation is playing out with the Starks Elementary School.

Starks residents and town officials have been meeting recently to discuss the possibility of seceding from the school district, as recommended unanimously at a special town meeting. Residents have complained about the weighted vote system on the Madison-based School Administrative District 59 board, saying board members have made decisions that many Starks residents have deemed unfavorable, including closing Starks Elementary School.

A Starks secession might involve moving the town's fewer than 100 students to neighboring Mt. Blue Regional School District, based in Farmington.

The most recent school-closure vote was July 13, when residents voted to close Palmyra Consolidated School in Newport-based Regional School Unit 19.

Bill Braun, superintendent of RSU 19, said the decision was difficult because "people have a strong affiliation with a local school and no one wants to lose that foundation." But Braun said the district is viewing the change positively, as a chance for more students and teachers to be together under shared roofs.

"There's been a hundred benefits beside just the financial piece," Braun said.

More to come?

Ralph Atwood Primary School in Oakland is poised to be the next area school to close.

The Regional School Unit 18 Board of Directors voted 8-2 on June 23 to close the school effective in the fall of 2011 -- but voters in Oakland will have the final say at a referendum vote on Nov. 2. They will also decide whether to build an addition to Williams Elementary School to accommodate about 220 students from Atwood.

The estimated savings from closing the Atwood School is $410,000 and fifth-graders from Sidney, Belgrade and Oakland would move to Messalonskee Middle School.

Oakland resident Stacey Linehan, who has four her girls who have attended Atwood, including one who is now in fifth grade, said she is against closing the school because she doesn't see the advantage, especially putting an addition onto another building.

"Atwood is a nice little community school, a safe environment," Linehan said. "We're going to be losing a lot here."

At Unity-based SAD 3, superintendent Perry said school officials weighing a possible building closure will be keeping one question at the forefront: how will it affect educational services?

"I think SAD 3 is in a situation where we're purposefully not rushing (a decision)," Perry said. "We're not at a point where the sky is falling, budgetarily speaking, so I think it's better to have this conversation early and for the right reasons and not wait until an emergency strikes and you have to make quick decisions.

"And we may get to the point where we decide not to close a school. But at least then you can stand in public, and when someone asks, 'Have you considered this?', you can say, 'Yes, we have.'"

Scott Monroe -- 861-9239

smonroe@centralmaine.com