Reopening of high school nixed

Lubec should not reopen its high school. That is the conclusion reached by the ad‑hoc Committee to Investigate the Feasibility of Reopening Lubec High School after study and consideration for more than one year. The group's conclusions were provided by written report to the Lubec Select Board on September 27 and made public during the board's meeting on October 17.
The committee was created by the select board following a poll taken during the 2017 annual town meeting in which 156 registered voters supported forming the committee and 106 opposed it. The function of an ad‑hoc committee is to carry out a single designated task; the committee was disbanded by the select board during the most recent meeting following receipt of the report. The committee was chaired by Dana Bradley and included Wanda Matthews, Rachel Rubeor, Barbara Sellitto and Tracey Sawtelle, who all signed the final report. Several meetings, which the public was invited to attend, were held.
Research included correspondence with local, AOS and state authorities, which was incorporated into supporting documents provided with the final report. The report concludes, "With the projected declining enrollment and the inevitable increases in the fixed operational costs of a reopened school, the committee has unanimously reached the conclusion that it is not, at this time, feasible to reopen Lubec High School." The report finished with a recommendation that the tuition commitment on the part of the town warranted a study by the school board to determine graduation rates and "to see what has happened to these students after graduation."
Lubec High School closed as an operating school in 2010, but the eight following years have not brought full closure to the controversy. Part of the impetus driving demand for the study was the cited "over $2,859,000 in tuition payments to area schools" during that period and whether it could be possible to retain "those financial resources here at home to benefit our own local economy." Transportation issues were also cited, including the need for some 5‑year‑old students to board the bus at 6:10 a.m. to allow the limited bus fleet to transport high school students in time for their first classes.
Not discussed in the report was the potential effect on the town of the displacement of services currently provided by the Lubec Community Outreach Center (LCOC), the lessee of the former high school wing, which includes the food pantry and other services. It did note that the committee met with Cathy Arrington, former LCOC executive director, about the possibility of shared usage.
Detailed information was received from Department of Education School Approval and Enrollment Specialist Pamela Ford Taylor, who indicated that there were no statutory impediments to the contemplated reopening and outlined the steps for accreditation.
Both Machias Memorial High School and Washington Academy (WA) responded with summaries of extracurricular activities and the participation rates by Lubec students. For example, WA offers 59 different after‑school programs, which nearly 80% of Lubec students take some part in. Declining population figures were determined by evaluating current elementary enrollment by year and do not account for possible in‑ or out‑migration.
Projected cost information was provided by the AOS 77 office, including a sample high school budget estimated at $745,000 plus a transition budget of $60,000. The recently adopted Lubec school budget for the 2018‑2019 fiscal year includes a high school tuition expense of $469,469. It should be noted that neither budget includes transportation costs, which are not shown separately in the school budget. Transportation is currently pegged at $138,077, which includes local elementary students as well as busing to Machias and East Machias.
The full report, as well as detailed supporting documents not included in the final report, is on file at the town office.