By unanimous decision late Wednesday night, the Regional School Unit 5 Board of Directors ratified a Freeport withdrawal agreement that could be sent to the Commissioner of Education for consideration.

Peter Murray, chairman of the Withdrawal Committee, said Thursday morning that he would call a meeting of the committee later Thursday, to vote on the accord. Both parties are hoping the vote came in time for Freeport residents to vote on withdrawal on Nov. 4.

“The law specifies that the Withdrawal Committee submit the agreement to the Department of Education, not the school board,” Murray said. “I think it was good hard work and a good result.”

Murray said that the board voted yes on the withdrawal agreement at around 11:30 p.m., following a complex series of amendments. The meeting at Freeport High School began at 6:30 p.m.

The Withdrawal Committee made concessions regarding the amount of money Freeport must reimburse RSU 5 for capital improvements made since the school unit was formed in 2009, as well as debt payments. The board agreed to $361,520 instead of the $136,520 on the proposal offered Wednesday night.

But the Withdrawal Committee was able to hold the line on the tuition rate that Durham and Pownal students must pay to attend Freeport High School. The Withdrawal Committee calls it a midpoint between the maximum allowable tuition as determined by the state and the “state actual,” which is greater. The maximum allowable is $9,209 per student while the actual cost is $10,495 per student.

Among other changes the board made to the agreement it received Wednesday night, the Withdrawal Committee will not reinforce the grandfathering clause in case the tuition clause is not ratified. Murray explained that there is a legal question whether Durham and Pownal residents need to vote on the tuition agreement. Even if one or both of the towns vote against it, Freeport still will allow Durham and Pownal students to attend Freeport High for the nine years following the first year after withdrawal.

The board also eliminated what Murray called the “nonsurvivability clause,” which had stipulated that if Durham or Pownal leave RSU 5, the agreement must be renegotiated.