WEST BATH

The upcoming Nov. 4 gubernatorial election will determine the voter turnout required at a special election for West Bath to withdraw from Regional School Unit 1.

More than 30 parents and residents gathered at the West Bath School on Thursday night, as the West Bath Withdrawal Committee urged residents to vote at the special election tentatively scheduled for Jan. 13, 2015, as the minimum threshold of voters is expected to be high.

According to the withdrawal statute, the total number of voters — for or against the withdrawal question — must be equal to 50 percent of the total number of voters who par- ticipated during the most recent gubernatorial election for the vote be valid.

West Bath had a total of 1,019 registered voters cast ballots in November 2010 in the gubernatorial election. The turnout on Nov. 4 is expected by many to exceed the turnout in 2010.

If that threshold is met, the withdrawal of a municipality from an RSU can pass with a simple majority.

The “Yes” or “No” referendum article must be worded: “Do you favor the withdrawal of (West Bath) from the Regional School Unit (RSU 1) subject to the terms and conditions of the withdrawal agreement dated (date inserted).”

“If you find it agreeable, by all means adopt it at the referendum vote,” said Withdrawal

Committee member and West Bath Selectman Peter Oceretko. “But if you don’t find it agreeable for your circumstances, then don’t adopt it.

“We’re looking at a steep voter threshold. We’re probably looking at between a 500-600 voter turnout — which is huge for West Bath at a special election,” he said, adding that the voter turnout at West Bath’s last special election was 73.

Oceretko said the town is currently making an effort to have applications for absentee ballots available for voters at the polls on Nov. 4.

“If this withdrawal is accepted, fine … if it’s defeated, that’s fine too. It’s your decision to make,” said Oceretko. “It would just be a shame if this was defeated because of a poor voter turnout.”

The Withdrawal Committee, comprised of Oceretko, Kyle Yacoben, Carol Gillespie and Dennis Crews, was tasked with drafting a withdrawal agreement in negotiations with RSU 1, which provides parameters for exiting the RSU.

The withdrawal agreement assumes a tentative withdrawal date of June 30, 2015.

“Following the first year after withdrawal,” the agreement states, “all West Bath students may choose to attend a middle or secondary school that suits their educational goals or desires at which they are accepted.”

RSU 1 had agreed that Bath Middle School and Morse High School will serve as the schools of guaranteed acceptance for all West Bath middle and high school students for a period of 10 years following withdrawal.

The agreement states that RSU 1 will “accept West Bath K-8 students as tuition students” for a 10-year period following withdrawal, however, the agreement does not allow for RSU 1 to pay tuition to a new West Bath school district for RSU 1 students to attend the West Bath School.

The future of school choice students — non-resident students who attend West Bath School, estimated to be 32 next school year — has been hotly debated at public meetings. At an Oct. 6 workshop, parents requested that the RSU 1 board of directors consider negotiating a tuition agreement with West Bath.

At the meeting, school officials stated that the cost of tuitioning in the 32 school choice students could be approximately $255,616 — based on state tuition numbers — and would likely compel the board to make budget cuts or cause a tax increase in RSU 1 towns.

Preliminary cost estimates for a standalone West Bath school district provided by Planning Decisions, a research and planning firm based in Portland, indicate that West Bath might see a savings by exiting the RSU.

According to the analysis, the cost for West Bath of operating in the RSU for 2014-15 was approximately $2.73 million. The cost for 2014-15 if West Bath had operated as a standalone district under the terms of withdrawal agreement was estimated to be $2.59 million.

The RSU 1 board and Withdrawal Committee have agreed to meet to try to reach an agreement, said Oceretko, adding that the committee has a “concept” regarding tuitioning school choice students which may address the RSU 1 board’s financial concerns.

rgargiulo@timesrecord.com

ACCORDING TO THE withdrawal statute, the total number of voters — for or against the withdrawal question — must be equal to 50 percent of the total number of voters who participated during the most recent gubernatorial election for the vote be valid.