The end of the school year is fast approaching and people’s schedules are hectic to say the least. The RSU 5 Working Group understands that not everyone that would like more information on this withdrawal process can make it to yet another meeting, so we hoped to provide an update on the process and where we are in it.

First off, please know that our foremost concern in this negotiation is for the children of RSU 5, and ensuring there is continuity and minimal disruption to their education. The RSU 5 Working Group chairwoman, along with Freeport Withdrawal Committee chairman met with the commissioner of education, Jim Rier on May 29th to gain some clarity around the issue of what we have been calling the “school of record.” What we learned was the Department of Education sees their role as one of ensuring every child has an appropriate place to attend school, thus their requirement for a 10-year contract, aka “School of Record” or “School of Guaranteed Acceptance.” The department also recommended we consider engaging a mediator to help us come to a mutually acceptable plan to put before the voters of Freeport. The first meeting with the mediator occurred on June 9, with unfortunately minimal progress made.

The crux of the issue we are struggling with is this school of record, and who will provide that 10-year contract for Durham and Pownal high school students, as well as Pownal middle-schoolers. The Working Group maintains that Freeport should be that school of record for Durham and Pownal for the 10-year requirement. The Freeport Withdrawal Committee has stated that they simply cannot be the school of record, purely for capacity reasons. They do not want to be forced into a position of funding construction to support a larger student population because of Durham and Pownal’s attendance at FHS. The Working Group offered to pay a debt service factor for any future expansion undertaken to mitigate that risk. That was not acceptable to the Withdrawal Committee. We then offered that we would be willing to consider a cap on the number of students that could attend based on 85 percent capacity of the high school (approximately 531 students), therefore eliminating any potential of being forced into an expansion. To date, that offer has not been acceptable either.

Based on student enrollment projections through 2022, survey data, and information collected at public meetings in Durham and Pownal, the Working Group is confident that the cap at capacity would provide a reasonable assurance to Durham and Pownal parents that any student that wishes to attend Freeport High School will have that option, and conversely, there will be many other options open to parents and students as open choice would be restored if Freeport votes to withdraw. These choice options for Durham and Pownal combined with charter school options and Freeport’s enrollment projections at 335 students in 2022, should assure all three towns that the school will not exceed capacity.

The formation of RSU 5 was borne out of a mandate from Augusta to consolidate. While many understandably resent the circumstances under which RSUs were created, Durham and Pownal students and parents have come to consider FHS “home.” The size of the high school, its location, academic offerings, athletic and extra-curricular programs, as well as the sense of community that comes with being part of a strong school district, have proven to be an excellent fit for the kids and families in all three towns. In a recent survey of Durham voters, nearly 70 percent of those with kids under 18 indicated that they hope Freeport votes to reject withdrawal and move forward together as a three-town RSU. Pownal parents have expressed similar sentiments in their public meetings.

If Freeport does vote to withdraw from RSU 5, the parents and students of Durham and Pownal will lose the security and governance of their own high school, but will once again have the opportunity to choose where their kids will go to high school, and in the case of Pownal, middle school. This will be an attractive option for some of our families. However, because the communities of Durham and Pownal are so heavily vested in FHS, the option for any student in Durham or Pownal to attend FHS, if they choose to, must be preserved.

The following is a list of RSU5’s Core Principles to be considered in the withdrawal agreement negotiations with the Freeport Withdrawal Committee:

• Educational opportunities for Durham and Pownal students must not be disrupted as a result of Freeport’s withdrawal from RSU 5.

• RSU 5 recognizes the wishes of some of the parents in Durham and Pownal who desire choice in where to send their kids to high school. RSU 5 parents will have the option to send their kids to any public or state-approved private high school that will accept them. In support of this, and to provide a viable alternative to Freeport High School, the Working Group will recommend that RSU 5 provide bus transportation to at least one other high school, in addition to Freeport High School.

• Any high school student from RSU 5 shall have the option to attend FHS. This option will be available for a period of 10 years following Freeport’s effective withdrawal date.

• Any Pownal middle school student shall have the option to attend Freeport Middle School.

• Any RSU 5 student attending Freeport Middle School shall have the option to attend Freeport High School.

• Any RSU 5 student who starts attending a Freeport school shall have the option of continuing to attend Freeport schools through their completion of high school.

RSU 5 is under no obligation to transfer ownership of Freeport High School to the town of Freeport unless these core principles are agreed to in the withdrawal agreement.

When RSU 5 was formed, Durham and Pownal both agreed, at Freeport’s insistence, to give up their long-standing traditions of providing their citizens with open choice in where to send their high school students. Freeport would only agree to form an RSU with Durham and Pownal if Durham and Pownal agreed to send all of their high school students to FHS. Durham and Pownal agreed to this, making a commitment to Freeport High School and as a result, severed many of the relationships they had cultivated with other districts.

RSU 5 is still young and has not had the opportunity to reach its full potential. Durham and Pownal want to stay together with Freeport in RSU 5. But in an effort to be reasonable in these withdrawal negotiations, RSU 5 is willing to relinquish ownership of the high school back to Freeport. We are willing to give up the security of having our own high school and turn over all of the governance and seats on the board. What we need in return is guaranteed access to our high school.

Members of the RSU Working Group are Michelle Ritcheson, chairwomam, Durham; Kate Brown, Pownal; Brian Pike, Durham; Naomi Ledbetter, Pownal; and Candice Decsipkes, Durham.