The districts, still in the early stage of planning, will meet Thursday.
Wells-Ogunquit Superintendent Elaine Tomaszewski said the suggestion has been made because her district realizes its need to renovate or rebuild Wells High School and RSU 21 is investigating renovation options for Kennebunk High.
Selectmen from Wells, Ogunquit, Arundel, Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, as well as representatives from the two districts' school boards, have met to discuss the pros and cons of a regional high school. Thursday's meeting will focus on a proposal to add a third level onto Kennebunk High School to accommodate all of the students, as well as the costs and governing structure, Tomaszewski said.
"We'll look at that Thursday and take recommendations to bring back to each of our respective (school) boards," she said.
With about 800 students at Kennebunk High, many classes are now being held in portable classrooms, said RSU 21 Superintendent Andrew Dolloff. Early estimates show renovations that would eliminate portable classrooms could cost the district $32 million to $46 million.
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Oh me, oh my. Let's move on to the next most attractive thing, huh?
ReplyDeleteWhat about all of those repairs that are necessary throughout the district? Are those going to fall by the wayside?
What about the potential withdrawal from the RSU for Arundel? I hope those of you who support this think about this very carefully; if voters are asked to approve repair bonds in November and we vote them down and subsequently are successful at withdrawing from the RSU, that $3.7M that it will cost to repair MLD will not be available for several years after we've withdrawn.
My concerns with this potential regional school are this:
How much is it going to cost Arundel? We already bear the bigger cost-sharing burden.
Will we be able to vote again on a new cost-sharing formula?
What will happen to the high school in Kennebunk; will it be repaired and stay open, or will that be shut down?
Transportation costs and staffing are also a concern.
Please, Arundel voters: The repairs for MLD are far more important than a shiny new high school. We've got enough on our plates as it is, we should take care of one thing at a time.
And just keep in mind: Arundel doesn't have the money to support a $3.7M bill for repairs if we withdraw. If you think taxes are ridiculous now, think about what that would do to our bills, along with all of the other costs of withdrawal - in this economy, it's just too much.
15 families can't move on.
ReplyDeleteArundel can do it!