FREEPORT – The Freeport Withdrawal Committee will seek public opinion on the makeup of a stand-alone Freeport High School at a community forum, scheduled for Thursday, April 17, at the Freeport Community Center.

The Community Visioning Forum will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a social gathering, followed by conversation between the committee and the public from 6-9. Pam Plumb, a consultant from Portland, will be the meeting facilitator.

The Freeport committee is negotiating with Regional School Unit 5 on the town’s withdrawal from RSU 5. Freeport residents voted last December to explore withdrawal from the school unit. The Withdrawal Committee and RSU 5 are working with the Maine Department of Education to reach an agreement acceptable to all three parties, and bring the matter to a second and final vote on Nov. 4.

Withdrawal Committee member and Town Councilor Rich DeGrandpre said Monday that the Visioning Committee, a Withdrawal Committee subcommittee, chose Plumb to facilitate because she does not live in Freeport nor does she have a stake in the proceedings.

“She doesn’t have a dog in this race,” he said. “We’re looking for guidance and questions from the public.”

Peter Murray, Withdrawal Committee chairman, said that the Community Visioning Forum will feature guest speakers and a roundtable discussion format, so that the public can hear from educational experts and share ideas. The idea, Murray said, is “to envision the future of a post-RSU 5 Freeport High School.”

DeGrandpre said that issues such as the future size of Freeport High School if Durham and Pownal students are not necessarily going to school there is one issue to consider. Last November, RSU 5 voters passed a $16.9 million bond package to both enlarge and renovate the high school. Freeport’s withdrawal vote in December made that vote null and void, and the need to enlarge the school might go away if Freeport withdraws.

“We’re hearing that a large school isn’t as necessary today, what with the advances in technology,” DeGrandpre said. “We’re hoping to have a little bit of a discussion around what our current capacity is, and go from there.”

On April 16, the day prior to the public forum, the Withdrawal Committee and the RSU 5 Working Group will continue their negotiations. The meeting, at Freeport High School, begins at 6:30 p.m.