Newport-based Regional School Unit 19, which is home to two school buildings ranked among the 10 Maine schools most in need of repair, is moving ahead with plans to remodel and possibly consolidate schools in the district at the state’s expense.

Residents in RSU 19, which includes Corinna, Dixmont, Etna, Hartland, Newport, Palmyra, Plymouth and St. Albans, will be asked to consider the addition of a new school building on district property across from the Nokomis Regional High School campus during a community meeting Wednesday night.

The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the high school.

“There are a number of options that are being explored,” said Jerry Nault, business manager for RSU 19. “Part of the plan is a need to site a building on the existing campus where the middle school and high school are. The details are still being worked out with the Department of Education, the architects and the district.”

In 2010, the department ranked Newport Elementary School third and Nokomis Regional High School sixth in the state on a list of school facilities most in need of repair or replacement. The rankings are based on a point system that evaluates schools based on buildings and grounds, including how safe buildings are; the school population, including overcrowding and student population changes; and how well facilities meet the needs of the programs the school offers or is trying to offer.

In order to receive the ranking, the district is required to apply to the department for an on-site evaluation and then may be placed on the state’s priority list. The first 12 of the 71 projects on the state’s list, including both RSU 19 projects, have been authorized by the state Board of Education to move forward in seeking state funds for renovations or new construction, according to Samantha Warren, spokeswoman for the Department of Education.

Wednesday’s meeting, which will include a straw poll asking residents whether they approve of building a new school near the middle and high schools, is part of a 21-step DOE approval process for major state-funded school construction projects.

The district doesn’t have plans yet for the site’s use. “We haven’t decided yet on what the final construction projects will be. We have to have a discussion on whether we have suitable property and land to build on, is it safe, is there enough room, are there adequate resources there to accommodate a construction opportunity?” Superintendent Greg Potter said.

The district is looking at several options for construction and renovation, including the “quite solid” possibility of building a new high school, Potter said. Other possibilities include renovating the existing high school into a district middle school, repairing the elementary school or building a new one.

The project’s price has not yet been determined, but most if not all of the cost will be financed by the state, Nault said.

The two schools on the state’s list were designated in need of repair in March 2011, but the district has been delayed by financial problems since 2012, Potter said.

In the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year, the district, while under different leadership, incorrectly estimated a budget surplus of about $830,000, resulting in a reduced tax commitment and overall funding shortfall of $1.6 million.

The district also failed to bill towns for $363,000 of debt service that voters had authorized, leading to an overall balance of slightly more than $2 million owed in 2012.

“Some of the focus was taken off of trying to move forward with state-approved construction projects,” said Potter, who took over as superintendent in July 2012. “That whole thing took over a year, really, before we were able to engage in this work, and the department has been very patient. We are finding now that we have much more time and opportunity to be moving forward with plans.”

Rachel Ohm — 612-2368

rohm@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @rachel_ohm

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