SANFORD — Sanford High School’s accreditation is in jeopardy, largely because the facility is overcrowded, the building is not secure, the library is too small, and there are 12 portable classrooms surrounding the building.

That was the word Monday from Superintendent of Schools David Theoharides, who told the school committee and Sen. Jonathan Courtney that the accrediting agency, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, had placed the 1,200-pupil school on probation.

And that, he said, is because even though Sanford High School is second on the state’s list of priorities for new school construction, the Maine Board of Education has not yet issued a “protected list,” which is essentially a commitment that the school will be built.

In the past, once a priority list was established, the board of education then established the “protected list,” Theoharides said.

But so far that hasn’t happened and that has caused some consternation.

It is also complicating budgeting efforts, school officials said. Typically, once the protected list is issued, a school department may begin preliminary work ”“ like completing an analysis of the benefits of renovation versus new construction ”“ and the cost for the work is reimbursed through the state.

Courtney and Jonathan Nass, a senior policy advisor for Gov. Paul LePage, were at the school committee’s workshop Monday to talk about the school construction.

“I’m very confident, and if I had to bet my own money on this, I would,” said Courtney. “I’m very confident going forward.”

And he scolded the school committee for how they approached their concerns about the school construction issue earlier this fall, when they wrote a letter to area business leaders and the news media ”“ who received it before he did, he said.

“I think the school board needs to take a different approach, and they need to pick up the phone,” said Courtney.

He said he wanted to have a meeting with the superintendent and school committee to have a “frank discussion” in private, but that didn’t happen, though he acknowledged that school committee meetings must be held in public.

School committee Vice Chairman Marguerite Herlihy said there was no intent to upset Courtney.

“We just don’t want to be forgotten,” she said.

Both Courtney and Nass said the school project Sanford wants to build ”“ a combination high school and technical school ”“ is a model Gov. LePage favors.

“It is important to the governor that we’re educating kids for a purpose and in a way they can get a job when they get out of school,” said Nass.

Herlihy said area industries are also supportive of the technical school model.

“They’re looking to a facility that will train their workforce,” she said.

Nass said Sanford remains at No. 2 on the list, “and that won’t change,” and he said the governor is looking at speeding up the construction process.

“I don’t think you should be concerned there’s some hold up,” said Nass.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 or twells@journaltribune.com.