Saco residents voted Tuesday in favor of forming a committee to develop a plan for the city to leave Regional School Unit 23.

The effort to leave the school district that covers Saco, Dayton and Old Orchard Beach is being led by Citizens for Saco Education. Members say they want to restore local control, and that Saco would be better off financially on its own.

Jeff Christenbury of Citizens for Saco Education said the 1,718-484 vote “is a clear statement from the citizens of Saco that the status quo is not OK and that it’s absolutely worth a look to withdraw from the RSU.”

Gary Curtis, chairman of the district’s school board, said he was disappointed with Saco’s vote.

“It’s unfortunate that even after three years, our communities of Saco, Dayton and Old Orchard Beach are unable to come together and think as a district,” he said.

Tuesday’s vote cleared the way for the formation of a four-member committee to develop an exit plan. The committee will include a school board member from Saco, a city councilor, a resident and a representative of Citizens for Saco Education.

The committee will have 90 days to develop an agreement that outlines how Saco would withdraw from the school district, addressing issues including union agreements, joint contracts and debt.

The plan would need approval from the RSU board and then the state education commissioner. It would then need approval from at least 50 percent of the number of Saco residents who voted in the 2010 gubernatorial election.

Also Tuesday, residents voted for the second time to reject the 2012-13 school budget, 1,876-1,022.

The $43.5 million budget called for a decrease of $116,000 from the budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year. Voters in June rejected a $43.6 million budget, forcing school officials to revisit the budget.

“The board will now have to go back and reassess budget issues,” Curtis said. “This time around I think it’s safe to say that Saco will feel the pain of cuts. Up to this point, there have been none (in Saco).”

Staff Writer Gilliam Graham can be contacted at 791-6315 or at:

ggraham@pressherald.com