Education

Voters in eastern Washington County rejected a school administrative reorganization plan on January 13 that aimed to organize 20 area towns into one regional school unit. Area schools unions were then informed by their superintendents that an alternative plan will not be forthcoming.

Residents in eastern and northern Washington County will go to the polls on Tuesday, January 13, to cast votes in favor of or against the state-mandated administrative reorganization plan for their schools.

The talk is that there hasn't been much information to provide answers to questions regarding the school reorganization plan for proposed region 13. That is the name that the Maine Department of Education has given to the region extending from Eastport to Vanceboro, but most recently the state

Lubec residents will meet twice on the night of Tuesday, December 2, to discuss whether to join a regional school administrative unit, as required by the state school consolidation law, and to consider whether to close Lubec High School and tuition students to another facility.

The MSAD 19 Board of Directors in Lubec, at a meeting on May 13, voted to approve and send to town meeting voters a budget that would reduce spending by over 7%, but increase the amount to be raised by local taxes for the school budget by nearly 11% compared to the current year.

The Eastport School Committee, at its May 6 meeting, tabled taking any action on teacher and staff contracts for the upcoming year, pending the presentation of a 2009-09 budget proposal. Superintendent Terry Lux has asked the two building principals to help prepare three scenarios for budget cuts, from worst to