DURHAM If voters approve a Nov. 6 referendum to leave Regional School Unit 5, it could cost the town $845,000 more per year to operate as a standalone district, a panel charged with investigating the issue said. In its 83-page final report, the Education Exploration Committee explains financial and organizational benefits and consequences that would accompany withdrawal from the RSU with Freeport and Pownal. The report states Durham has 30 percent of RSU 5’s students yet pays only 13 percent of its budget. Likewise, the budget growth rate “has not changed significantly since joining RSU 5,” and even though “property taxes have increased at a higher rate than the pre-RSU average,” most of the reasons “are not related to the RSU and would have occurred” anyway. Some costs would drop, but others would rise because the town would not benefit from sharing expenses throughout an RSU. Durham also would have to arrange for high school students to go elsewhere, if other towns agreed. The report’s findings will be presented to selectmen Tuesday, with a public hearing set for Oct. 22 from 7-10 p.m. in the Durham Community School Gymnasium. jtleonard@timesrecord.com
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