Monday, August 20, 2012

Agreement for possible withdrawal is near

Officials have been working toward a plan should Arundel depart RSU 21
 
By Amber Carter
Staff Writer

 
ARUNDEL – During the Nov. 6, 2012 vote, if 50 percent or more of Arundel residents vote to withdraw from the Regional School District 21, as of July 1, 2013, the town of Arundel will no longer be part of the school district with the Kennebunks.

Superintendent of RSU 21 Andrew Dolloff and the Arundel Withdrawal Committee are discussing an agreement to provide an education for Arundel students through 2026.

After a special municipal referendum on April 10, Arundel residents voted 517-291 to leave RSU 21.

The town then put together a withdrawal committee made up of one community member at large, a member of the petitioning group, a member of the school board of directors from Arundel and one member of the Arundel Board of Selectmen to put together an agreement of withdrawal to be sent to the RSU.

“This is a business deal and we must treat it as such,” said Jack Turcotte, chairman of the withdrawal committee. “We have had a lot of contribution from Town Manager Todd Shea and Andrew Dolloff. They have been workhorses for us.”

At an early July withdrawal committee meeting with Dolloff, they discussed the wording of the agreement between the town and the RSU. This pertains to the students who wish to continue their education at the RSU through 2026. The purpose of the meeting was to make sure that all parties involved agree to and understand its content.

The committee also discussed how high school students would be educated if Arundel withdraws. The committee discussed two versions of the formal agreement between the RSU and Arundel in regard to what each party will be required to do from July 1 to June 2026 when the agreement is in effect.

One draft from Arundel was sent to the RSU 21’s attorney June 16 and the other was the draft with the notes from the attorney. The document outlines a contract between the RSU and Arundel to “provide a timely and orderly withdrawal from the RSU.”

The RSU, in the document, agreed to educate all Arundel students that wish to continue their education at Kennebunk schools.

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