WESTPORT ISLAND

While neighboring Wiscasset has been advised its residents probably can’t vote on withdrawal from Regional School Unit 12 until next November, the committee in charge of this town’s withdrawal effort is still looking at June.

More will be known tonight, as the Westport Island committee meets with RSU 12 officials at Wiscasset High School, beginning at 6.

“It’s our first serious sitdown negotiations,” committee member Dennis Dunbar said.

A June vote to withdraw from the eight-town school unit would make that action possible for the 2014-15 school year. If indeed Wiscasset can’t vote until November, leaving RSU 1 would not be possible until 2015-16.

“Their lawyers looking at Wiscasset’s plan have laid out a November timeline,” Dunbar said. “Our timeline is going to be to take something to the voters in June. What’s convenient to their lawyers is not necessarily in agreement to the parties involved. We’re not embracing the lawyers’ notion of waiting.”

On Monday, RSU 12 lawyer William Stockmeyer advised committee members that several issues remain to be negotiated, and that a Wiscasset withdrawal probably can’t take place by July 1. The state Department of Education is likely to agree to a November, 2013 referendum vote for those reasons, Stockmeyer said.

Westport Island’s plan to leave RSU 12, submitted on Sept. 8, is not as complex as Wiscasset’s, Dunbar said.

Should voters agree, Dunbar said, Westport Island would establish its own, independent municipal school unit. Westport would have its own school board, and would have the authority — by law — to find another partner two years hence, Dunbar said.

Most of its 66 students probably would continue to attend classes in Wiscasset schools, he said. The committee has had discussions with RSU 1 of Bath, Alternative Organizational Structure (AOS) 93 of Damariscotta and AOS 98 of Boothbay.

The town would negotiate with RSU 12 for transportation and superintendent’s office services, Dunbar said.

Westport is likely to follow Wiscasset’s lead in this matter.

“If Wiscasset leaves,” Dunbar said, “it’s more likely for Westport Island to leave. Our natural inclination is to follow what Wiscasset does.”

The town voted to pursue withdrawal from RSU 12 mostly for financial reasons, Dunbar said. RSU 12 towns did vote for a new cost-sharing method in November.

“The revised cost-sharing is a significant improvement from Westport Island’s perspective that somewhat mitigated the drive to withdraw,” Dunbar said. lgrard@timesrecord.com