FARMINGTON – A group of Kingfield residents studying the possibility of forming their own school district has inquired with Mt. Blue Regional School District about its willingness to accept tuitioned students in the event the town withdraws from MSAD 58.
Superintendent Thomas Ward said that he had received an informational request from Fulton Ryan, a member of the Kingfield withdrawal group, about the possibility of allowing students to attend Mt. Blue High School on a tuition basis, if Kingfield were to eventually withdraw from MSAD 58. That process has not begun yet, with the first step being the submission of a petition to the Maine Department of Education commissioner, requesting approval to hold a vote and establish a formal withdrawal committee.
Some residents of Kingfield have expressed an interest in considering withdrawing from MSAD 58, particularly following the successful withdrawal of Eustis, which has since formed its own district. Those discussions occur as MSAD 58 considers different proposals to reorganize its facilities, in an effort to save money.
Ward recommended no action be taken on the request, as the process was in an extremely early stage. He said that in his experience some withdrawal efforts never left the early, fact-finding stages after residents became aware of the costs involved with operating a school district.
Somewhere between 60 and 80 high school students could potentially come to Mt. Blue High School from Kingfield, Ward said, although he noted that other area high schools would likely siphon off some of those students. Tuitioned students would not impact transportation, as the sending town would be responsible for getting students to MBRSD bus stops, but could require additional staff.
Speaking generally, Ward said that additional students brought additional funds into the district, but that the board would need to be careful to avoid overburdening local facilities.
“We don’t want to create an overcrowded situation,” Ward said, particularly given the brand-new high school was reopening in its current configuration for the first time.
Meanwhile, school administrators reported that enrollment was up more than 70 students from the previous year, although they cautioned that those numbers would fluctuate over the next week. The board already approved the hiring of an extra kindergarten teacher at W.G. Mallett School at their previous meeting, in order to meet the needs of a larger-than-expected incoming class.
Firmer numbers are expected at the next board meeting, but Ward did note that he had turned down some “superintendent agreements” which brought students from certain towns into specific schools, to avoid overcrowding the system. Such agreements are only allowed in special situations, such as a proven hardship for the student.
