SAD 41 board approves AOS 43 Plan of Termination

LAGRANGE — In 2010, SAD 41, which represents Brownville, LaGrange, and Milo, and neighboring SAD 31 of the Howland area, formed Alternative Organizational Structure 43 to share central office services including a superintendent, business director, and technology director.

During a special SAD 41 school board meeting held over Zoom on Dec. 19, the directors gave their approval to an AOS 43 Plan of Termination. The 4-page plan would go to a referendum vote in both districts, and if passed would take effect on July 1, 2025.

Board Chair MaryLynn Kazyaka said everyone was there to vote on AOS 43 Plan of Termination as recommended by the district’s attorney.

“We have been meeting, the first time over Zoom with the people from Howland and since then it’s been back and forth with texts and this is the final conclusion of what we came up with,” Kazyaka said. “It did pass in Howland last night.”

Speaking about the very limited physical assets to be divided between SAD 41 and SAD 31, she said, “It really came down to five desks, five chairs, 10 fireproof filing cabinets, and four computers that we split and if you look at it they got three of the desks and we got three chairs. We split the filing cabinets five and five and the computers are two and two.”

Kazyaka said SAD 41 will serve as the fiscal agent during the dissolution process. The district and AOS 43 use the same bank, while SAD 31 uses another financial institution.

“In order to continue things, if we approve the plan, then we would have the account to finish out what’s left for the AOS which would be to pay for an audit and W-2s and things like that for next year after the AOS is closed,” she said.

The central office is housed at the Marion C. Cook School in LaGrange, which is an SAD 41 property.

SAD 41 will put $5,500 of fund balance toward the AOS 43 termination and another $65,000 AOS 43 fund will be split between the two districts. Kazyaka said other components of the plan include legal information pertaining to a final 2024-25 audit and issuing tax forms to employees and contractors. 

 “I think it’s pretty clear, it’s pretty simple to split our assets, we don’t have a lot as an AOS so it’s very straightforward,” Superintendent Darcie Fournier said. “The plan reads similarly to those others that are on the MDOE website for other districts that have had termination plans approved by the commissioner.”

Following the board’s vote, the attorney will send the plan to Maine Department of Education Commissioner Pender Makin for approval. If this is granted, the board would sign warrants at its next regular meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 8 with a referendum to likely be held in February. If approved by a citizens’ vote, the date of termination would be July 1, 2025. A majority of voters in just one district is needed to terminate the AOS.

Kazyaka said she is glad the plan passed after all the work put in. “I think it’s really important for our district to do this,” she said.

Per the plan details, both SAD 31 and SAD 41 would hire their own superintendent of schools.

AOS 43 has individual employment contracts with 11 central office employees. Ten of these contracts either expire on or before June 30, 2025 or may be terminated by the AOS for any time and for any reason. The AOS shall ensure that none of these 10 contracts extend beyond June 30, 2025. 

The remaining employment contract is with the superintendent and expires on June 30,  2026. The AOS may agree to terminate this contract as of July 1, 2025 if the superintendent has secured employment for the 2025-26 school year.