Gray-New Gloucester school board members approved an incomplete consolidation plan to be sent to the Maine Commissioner of Education last Tuesday night, with many questions remaining.

SAD 15, which includes the towns of Gray and New Gloucester, has worked since September on a plan to consolidate school services with the towns of Mechanic Falls, Minot, and Poland, which comprise School Union 29.

Though school officials say most consolidation plans from school districts throughout Maine are incomplete at this point, school board members from SAD 15 are anxious for answers about issues like a tax shift, in order to draft a complete plan to present to Gray and New Gloucester taxpayers.

“We have several issues that are really more like barriers for us right now,” said school board member Sandy MacDonald.

Consolidation is a directive handed down from the Commissioner of Education’s office that is meant to save money in the areas of transportation, maintenance, office overhead, and technology. The goal is to have no more than 80 school districts statewide, averaging 2,500 students.

SAD 15 currently operates as a single school system, while Union 29 has budgets for the different schools it covers. SAD 15 officials said the merger will cost their towns $1.2 million, while Union 29 will save $1 million.

MacDonald and other school officials from SAD 15 and Union 29 planned to meet with Jim Rier, director of finance and operations for the commissioner’s office, on Wednesday to discuss some of the issues that arose after the board reviewed the plan.

Rier said he has met with school districts to iron out some of the financial problems facing consolidating districts since plans were submitted Dec. 1. He said he expects legislation to pass in early January that modifies the way the consolidation laws are written, allowing towns to split cost burdens, like the tax shift SAD 15 anticipates.

“We’re here, ready to work with people. This is a monumental change in how we administer schools in Maine, and it will take time,” said Rier, adding that the commissioner’s office will continue to be patient with school districts as they work on completing plans.

In addition to the tax problem, the school board is unsure of how to negotiate teacher contracts, because SAD 15 and Union 29 have different systems in place. For instance, Union 29 high school teachers are paid based on a merit system. Consolidation requires contracts to be blended into one system.

“There are some challenges there of how to bring them all together, because you’re going to have pay scales all over the board,” said MacDonald.

Despite some frustrations, school officials from both SAD 15 and Union 29 have had positive things to say about the impending merger. Since planning began in early fall, members from both district have taken part in numerous meetings and have formed some “pretty good friendships” according to Union 29 superintendent Dennis Duquette.