KINGFIELD — Residents will meet at 6 p.m. Monday evening at Webster Hall to hear and discuss more details about what splitting from School Administrative District 58 would mean for the town.
Kingfield voters will decide on July 16 whether to begin exploring leaving the district. A yes vote means the Maine Department of Education would instruct the town selectmen to form a committee to begin looking into costs and logistics involved with leaving.
A residents’ petition was filed with the town, and an initial informational meeting was held last week to discuss the process.
In an ongoing feud between the Mt. Abram Teachers Association and the school board, the board’s proposed $9.4 million budget was pared to $265,000 at the budget ratification meeting, but didn’t pass the referendum in Kingfield, Phillips, Strong and Avon, the district’s four towns.
The $9.4 million budget was again proposed and accepted by voters in the four towns last week at Mt. Abram High School and sent on to a referendum vote Monday evening.
Former math teacher Brian Twitchell, who resigned amid questions about SAD 58’s leadership and is one of the leading advocates of exploring the split from the district, said Monday he’s not advocating for Kingfield to leave the district, but it has to be looked at.
“I believe the town of Kingfield needs to study this and make a decision based on the facts that we discover,” Twitchell said. “I don’t think it is healthy for the town or for the district to keep having this undercurrent of an idea that Kingfield might pull out.
“In my opinion we need to study it closely and make an informed decision about what is best for the town and, in particular, what is best for the kids.”
The July 16 vote is the second step in a 22-step process overseen by the Maine Department of Education, and its purpose is only to establish a requisite withdrawal committee and secure funding for legal and consultative fees associated with the withdrawal process.
With the approval of the Maine Department of Education, the process then can be put to a final vote. The entire timeline for the process is six months to one year.
Douglas McIntire — 861-9252
dmcintire@mainetoday.com
Twitter: @CD_McIntire
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