SACO — The Saco School Department and Regional School Unit 23 are moving toward an agreement that would have the RSU administer the Saco Transition Program.
Saco Superintendent of Schools Michael Pulsifer said at Wednesday night’s school board meeting that, at one time, the students at the alternative high school program were primarily from Saco. However, since the inception of the Bridges program at Thornton Academy ”“ which serves as Saco’s high school ”“ students looking for this type of educational setting are going to the program offered at Thornton.
Pulsifer said in the upcoming school year, only two or three of the 15 students in the Transition Program will be from Saco, and the majority of the students will be from RSU 23, which is Old Orchard Beach’s school district.
The board discussed a proposed two-year agreement that Drummond and Woodsum attorney Gregory Im said would have the RSU “govern and administer” the Transition Program.
The program is currently located at 80 Common St. The thought is that one day, the program will move to Old Orchard Beach.
Im said the agreement must be approved by both the RSU 23 and Saco school boards, and then submitted to the Department of Education for approval by the commissioner of education.
Saco School Board member Cynthia Chadwick-Granger said she wanted to make sure that Saco students enrolled in the Saco Transition Program this year or next could finish their high school education in the program, should it move to Old Orchard Beach after the proposed contract runs out.
“It’s not about the place or the location, it’s the program,” she said.
The board decided to table a decision whether to approve the proposed agreement until a clause was added that would assure students in the program could finish their high school education there, should it move to Old Orchard Beach after the agreement expires.
Although RSU 23 approved the proposed contract Tuesday night, the proposed contract with the new clause will go in front of both boards for approval.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.
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