The Department of Education announced last Thursday that around 80 percent of the state’s 290 school districts have submitted preliminary plans that comply with the new school consolidation law, meaning more than 50 still have work to do.

Local superintendents said the approval of their alternative consolidation plans does not mean their towns are closer to choosing which possible plan they will decide upon.

“I think it’s still wide open,” said Sandy Prince, superintendent of the Windham school department. “Basically, Windham’s looking at three options.”

Windham’s approved plans are to stand alone, consolidate with Raymond or consolidate with Raymond and Westbrook.

“We’re just going to take some time to figure things out,” said Prince.

Stan Sawyer, superintendent of the Westbrook school department, said his department’s three plans were approved, which included standing alone, consolidating with Raymond and consolidating with Windham and Raymond.

“I think there’s still serious discussion to go forward on consolidation,” he said. “I think a lot of the work will be done by subcommittees.”

“We still have a long way to go,” Sawyer added.

That’s a lot for Raymond, that’s a lot of opportunities,” he said.

“I’m getting positive feedback from parents,” said Raymond’s School Board Chairwoman Teresa Sadak. She said since Raymond doesn’t have a high school, most Raymond students already go to the Windham and Westbrook high schools, and parents are looking forward to younger children having access to larger programs the way the older students do.

The state believes it will have no problem hitting the goal of creating fewer than 80 districts statewide by July of 2009.

“At the end of August, school districts were required to file notices of their plans to reduce administration and to partner with neighboring districts,” Gov. John Baldacci said at a press conference in Westbrook Thursday morning. “We are confident from those notices that we will reduce the number of school administrative units to fewer than 80, as required by law.”

Education Commissioner Susan Gendron estimated there would be about 75 school administrative units when all the work is complete.

Those districts that still have work to do are either below the required 1,200 to 2,500 student enrollment size in the law or submitted plans to partner with school districts that haven’t said they wanted to partner with them.

The next looming deadline is Dec. 1, when final plans must be submitted to the commissioner. Those plans that she approves by Dec. 15 will go out to the voters in January.

Those districts that are not ready for a January vote must have a plan ready to go on the ballot by June of 2008.