SAD 4, SAD 46 working on regional high school application

GUILFORD — Facility committees from both SAD 4 and the Dexter-based SAD 46 will begin meeting to plan for the new regional comprehensive high school application through the Maine Department of Education.

Milo and Corinth area districts stopped pursuing the regional comprehensive high school with SAD 4 and SAD 46 last year. The SAD 41 School Board voted against putting approximately $133,300 of district funds toward startup costs and a site analysis for the pursuit of the school and discontinued its participation in the project.

That came two years after representatives from the four districts met with the MDOE and were told they needed to cover the estimated $800,000 costs of an engineering study and other planning efforts before receiving $100 million in state funding to build the project. MDOE officials said the state would not fund the planning expenses, with these instead to be divided between the school units. 

Last year the MDOE offered to fund half of the $800,000 costs with three districts being responsible for the other $400,000 — divided into three $133,300 shares for SAD 4, SAD 41, and SAD 46 after RSU 64 withdrew. SAD 41 decided it did not want to spend $133,000.

During a Feb. 11 meeting of the SAD 4 School Board in the Piscataquis Community Elementary School cafeteria, Superintendent Kelly MacFadyen said SAD 4 and SAD 46 are still committed to applying, as she was formally authorized to pursue a regional comprehensive high school by the school board at last month’s meeting. She said under the new proposal only two participating school districts are needed in the application  for a Grade 9-16 (post-secondary) consolidated high school to the Maine Capital School Construction program instead of a minimum of three. 

The two district facilities committees are set to meet on Feb. 24 at the Ridge View Community School in Dexter, March 13 at PCES and then March 27 at a location to be determined.

The application is due in June, MacFadyen said, but she is unsure when the MDOE will announce its decision and if one or multiple projects will be awarded funding. She said there likely will be other groups applying in this round.

It’s been more than a half decade since SAD 46 headed up an application between itself and SAD 4 for a $100 million first-of-its-kind secondary institution integrated with a career and technical school along with the University of Maine System and the Maine Community College System, and it would support industry training programs. SAD 41 of the Milo area joined later in a non-binding agreement, and then RSU 64 of Corinth. 

Projects based in the Madawaska and Houlton areas originally ranked higher, but these proposed schools did not progress as residents could not agree on where to put the building.

A site for the school may be easier to pass via referendum down the line with a geographic area consisting of just SAD 4 and SAD 46 and not four districts, MacFadyen said. 

In other business, MacFadyen said the budget committee had its first meeting the week prior. She said the preliminary report on state subsidy has SAD 4’s 2025-26 being decreased by about $144,000 due to a drop in student enrollment.

The near $9.25 million 2024-25 budget includes a figure of $3,411,348 in state allocation.

“We will have some numbers to share with the committee on how things are looking,” MacFadyen said about the March 5 meeting.

She said the annual budget magazine was originally not going to be published this year due to a turnover in staff and not having enough time to train someone to take on the task.

The superintendent said after speaking with school board member Wendy Lorgian, “She graciously said would do it and she has the expertise.” Lorigan previously worked as an art teacher in the district.

Piscataquis Community Secondary School Principal John Keane said preliminary numbers for the PCHS baseball team are low and several students who are looking to be on the team have not played before.

Assistant Principal/Athletic Director Andy Shorey is having conversations with both Class C North Dexter Regional High School and Class D South Greenville High School about the possibility of having a cooperative team with the PCHS players being part of one of these teams, Keane said. Any decision would be brought to the school board, such as the March meeting before the start of practices.

Low baseball numbers in 2025 would just be a blip and not an issue for future years, Keane said.

In 2024, PCHS had a cooperative agreement with Greenville for softball as the Pirate players were part of the Laker team. PCHS should have its own softball team in 2025 with a healthy number of team members at this point, Keane said

PCES Principal Anita Wright mentioned several items in her report.

She said students and families are enjoying “Charlotte’s Web” in the One Book, One School reading program. She said every family received a copy of E.B. White’s book and teachers will read some of the story at school and then the families read at home.

Each morning a question from a chapter is posed over the intercom and the class that calls in first with the correct answer gets to keep Wilbur, a stuffed pig, for the day. Wright said scenes, quotes, and facts from the book are posted around school and at morning meetings a staff member is likely to be seen running around the gym dressed as a character, such as a pig, cow, or farmer.

“I see it as coming together to promote a love of reading, and that was our goal,” Wright said.

Reading is also being encouraged through two other initiatives, including the annual Bikes for Books program, she said. The Guilford and Sangerville Masonic lodges provide bicycles and students can put an entry ticket in for every title they read.

Maine children’s author Lynne Plourde will be spending the day at PCES on April 7. Plourde will be hosting four different groups in the library to read and sign books.

Wright said she was saddened to hear about the recent passing of Rocco Polumbo, who helped start an annual spring fishing experience for fourth-graders. Piscataquis County Sheriff Bob Young and Friends of Community Fitness Executive Director Britney Gallagher will be taking over the program this year to continue what Polumbo started to teach students a skill that will last a lifetime and provide a productive pastime.