Board approves cost-sharing agreement with Lewiston Regional Technical Center

The RSU 52 board approved a proposed cost-sharing agreement with the Lewiston Regional Technical Center that apportions LRTC operating costs among sending districts based on the percentage of seats each district holds.

District staff explained to the board that the agreement uses schedule-based percentages (RSU 52's percentage in the draft is 9.68% of seats) and that, under last year’s numbers, RSU 52’s share would have been about $32,000. At the time of the discussion board members noted that RSU 52 actually filled more seats than the schedule allocation this year — about 86 of the 739 total seats, roughly 12% — and that those seat assignments are traded among sending districts if one district does not need all of its allocated seats.

A district presenter told the board that costs rose after LRTC expanded to a second building and that transportation and supervisory costs increased with the multi-site operation. He added that Lewiston Public Schools had contributed roughly $300,000 in the prior year to cover an operating gap and that the new agreement was intended to share future costs more equitably among sending districts.

Board member remarks focused on how many students are served, whether programs are oversubscribed, and whether the district should evaluate bringing certain programs in-house if demand remains unmet. The board asked staff to request additional detail from LRTC on how many applicants were turned away and which programs are most in demand.

A motion to approve the agreement was made on the floor and seconded; the board voted unanimously to adopt the cost-sharing agreement.