ARUNDEL, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Five years ago,
following long debate, the Maine Legislature passed what was called the
School Consolidation Law.
The school law was a major goal for then-Democratic Governor John
Baldacci, who wanted to dramatically reduce the number of school
districts and superintendent in Maine to save money. The law created
dozens of new districts, called Regional School Units or RSU's, and
required towns to join them or face a penalty. Some communities happily
formed RSU's, while others joined grudgingly.
Now, three years later, the penalties for not following the mandate
have been removed. As a result, a number of towns around Maine are
seeking to withdraw from their RSU's. Some want to join other units or
districts that seem a better fit. Other communities simply want to be
independent, and go it alone. The Maine Department of Education says at
least twelve towns are at some stage on the complex withdrawal process,
and that a number of others have started to discuss the possibility of
withdrawal. Specific details vary from town to town, but there's general
agreement that two primary issues are involved: money and local
control.
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