And the saga continues.
In 2010, RSU 21 faced a myriad of challenges, including the
merging of three towns into one RSU, a battle over cost sharing, and a host of
facilities issues.
It seems things have become even more difficult this year
as controversy has formed around the potential withdrawal of Arundel from the
RSU, cost sharing is again up for debate, and voters could soon see more than
$50 million in facilities improvements.
"It's definitely tough because there's a certain lack of
clarity," said Norm Archer, chairman of the RSU 21 Board of Directors, of the
RSU's current situation.
This past May, the district's $35.7 million budget was
rejected by voters, as were the proposed new cost-sharing formula and the
Thornton Academy Middle School contract buyout — which would have involved the
district spending $1.2 million in surplus funds. Both the budget and proposed
cost-sharing formula passed in Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, but failed by wide
margins in Arundel.
The voters' sentiments continued an ongoing debate that has
continued to brew over the past year, causing animosity and resentment within
the community as Arundel resident and parent Paul Raymond said.
"Words were slung. People were called names. That's the
politics, but the reality is that I think the school board needs to understand
it's not the status quo that it used to be years ago," Raymond said. "People are
starting to be more concerned about how they spend their money."
It seems the controversy will soon hit a head. As of Jan.
1, Arundel residents can start the process of withdrawing from RSU 21 by
creating a petition signed by 10 percent of those who voted in the last
gubernatorial election.
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