Union 60 is a rarity among Maine school systems

    Out of Maine’s 164 educational units, only six are organized as school unions, which are a combination of two or more school administrative units that share the costs of a superintendent and the central office, according to the Maine Department of Education.
    Each school administrative unit maintains its own budget, has its own school board and operates as a separate unit except for the sharing of superintendent services.

    Two out of the six Maine school unions also include a community school district (CSD), which is a combination of two or more municipalities that build, maintain and operate a single school.
    Although individual school boards operate under the normal majority vote system, union school committee votes are cast on a weighted system in proportion to the population of the member towns.
    Shirley and Greenville formed School Administrative District 2 in 1962, but the merger was terminated 20 years later. According to historical records, townspeople were unhappy with persistent attempts to close their own-room schoolhouse and transport the youngsters to Greenville.
    So they reached an agreement with Greenville to dissolve the district, the State Board of Education granted the approval; and on May 21, 1982, district residents approved the dissolution, 213-36.
    Shirley Elementary School eventually closed in 2009 when the student population dwindled to two.