Superintendent Tom told the RSU 5 School Board that the Maine Department of Education has told district leaders the state intends to fund early‑childhood special education for ages 3–5 at 100% after the statutory transition date, and the district has launched a task force to plan the change.

“Doctor Sandy Flack…has pointed out that under the law, early childhood special education for ages 3 to 5 will be 100% state funded even after that point,” Tom said. The board was told the statutory deadline for districts to assume responsibility for Child Find and FAPE for ages 3–5 is July 1, 2028. Tom said the department’s clarification is “good news,” but noted open questions about what the state will cover beyond each identified child’s direct services.

Tom outlined the district’s near‑term planning process. He said a district early‑childhood transition task force is being formed with staff and community members; letters of interest were requested with the superintendent’s goal of assembling the committee by Oct. 20 and holding the first meeting at the end of October. The task force is scheduled to meet monthly through January and present recommendations during the budget process. A site visit from DOE staff to evaluate district facilities and how they might be used for early‑childhood services is planned for Oct. 29.

Tom cautioned that while the DOE’s position is that the state will cover 100% of program costs tied to identified children, “what that doesn't mean is that if we decide, as a district, to integrate early childhood into our district, there are systemic costs that can go along with that…Those are things that we really need to consider, and those costs are not being promised as covered.” The superintendent said district legal counsel had previously advised there could be local costs, and the recent DOE clarification reduces but does not eliminate financial uncertainty.

Board members asked how the state funding will flow and whether it will use the ED 279 funding stream; Tom said the department told superintendents it will be a separate pot of money, not simply the district’s E D 279 formula allocation. He also said his team has a scheduled call with DOE point person Sandy Flack to press for more detailed guidance.

The superintendent said the task force will include representation from each town in the RSU (Freeport, Durham, Pownal), staff and community partners, and aims to provide district leaders recommendations in January to inform the 2026–27 budget planning cycle.

The board did not take a vote on program structure at the meeting; the discussion established a near‑term schedule for planning and a set of open questions for the superintendent and the task force to resolve.