Lubec to vote on closing of its high school

Lubec residents will vote whether to close Lubec High School or keep it open in a referendum on June 23. The measure, which has already divided the town, was forced by a recent school board vote to close the high school and, in turn, let the people decide the school's eventual fate.

The school committee cast a 4-1 vote on April 5 at a special meeting that was advanced as an informational hearing for the public. About 75 attended, far fewer than the roughly 200 who had packed the school's cafetorium a month earlier for a better publicized public discussion.

But the sentiments were the same. Those who strongly oppose closing the school were passionate in their pleas to keep the school open. Others on the other side cited the cost of educating high school students in Lubec in the face of a dramatic cut in educational subsidy from the state.

The issue is rooted in the state's announcement earlier this year that Lubec would lose about $579,000 in funding. The figure comes from the controversial formula for determining how much a town receives for Essential Programs and Services, based on a town's property valuation and its student enrollment. Lubec, which has about 37 students in its high school, was one of the biggest losers for EPS funding statewide this year. Although several school board members traveled to Augusta in April to meet with Governor John Baldacci and some of Washington County's legislators, state officials refused to reconsider Lubec's allotment.

Feeling their hands were tied, four of the five committee members cast their votes to close the high school. Russell Wright, the committee chair, was the single member voting against the motion to close. "There are many students who find this school a safe, nurturing place," he said after the meeting. "They may not have good lives at home, and this school is here for them."

Board members stressed that by closing the high school, the town's limited educational resources would bolster the elementary portion of Lubec Consolidated School. Eight high school-related positions C four teachers, a guidance counselor and two secretaries C would be lost if the high school closes, but the elementary students would benefit from, for example, the art teacher shifting her elementary focus from half-time to full-time.

Board members had been considering figures over the several weeks showing costs to tuition its students to one of three schools -- Shead in Eastport, Washington Academy in East Machias or Machias Memorial High School in Machias. But in the end, their decision to close left the question of where students would go up to the parents. The public's vote on June 23 ensures that, if the school closes, families could decide on their own where their students would be educated.

"What pushed me to the wall," said board member Barbara Sellitto, when prompted by a call for each to explain why they were calling for the high school's closure, "was the half-million dollar cut. That impacted me like there's no tomorrow. I agree, there is a lot of history here. This school is not what it was years ago... We are a fishing community, and I've listened to fishermen. Sixty percent of our community is on a fixed income. We can't afford such a large hit."

The room fell silent when Principal Peter Doak rose to speak. He noted that after "cut, cut, cut," his teachers were doing exemplary work on barebones budgets. "Our test scores have gone up," he said. "What more do you want?"

Moments after the vote, after the cafetorium had cleared, one man stayed back in the main hallway. Cecil Moores, 51, of Lubec's class of 1977, stared at the rows and years of framed classes. "We had so much back then," he said quietly, lost in memories.

What wasn't mentioned at the April 11 meeting was a piece of legislation that passed in April in Augusta, LD 151, "Resolve, To Direct the Commissioner of Education to Review the Essential Programs and Services Funding Formula." The resolve requires the commissioner, in conjunction with the Maine Education Policy Research Institute, to review and report on the components and subsidy distribution mechanisms of the Essential Programs and Services Funding Act. The report will be submitted by January 3, 2011, to the Maine Legislature.

Just one evening after the vote, the same cafetorium was filled with parents and family members again for Projects Night C what is acknowledged annually as the school's proudest moment. The doors are open to the community for students to display their academic or art work, whatever has most captured them since September. Turnout, and the accompanying pride in the classroom accomplishments of Lubec students, was considerable.

After conferring with the state on legalities, town officials set the date for the referendum for 45 days out, Wednesday, June 23. They will hold an informational meeting seven days earlier, on Wednesday, June 16.