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Parents and residents tell Wayne select board they were surprised by RSU 38 plan to move kindergarten; ask for more notice and impact analysis
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Summary
Multiple residents, including a parent and a fire chief speaking as a parent, told the board that RSU 38 presented plans that would move kindergarten from Wayne this fall and urged the board to press for clearer data, community outreach and an assessment of community impacts before implementation.
Several residents used the public-comment period March 17 to urge the Select Board to monitor RSU 38’s planning process and press for transparent community engagement after meeting attendees said the district’s presentation suggested kindergarten would be moved out of Wayne this coming fall.
A parent and first-time kindergarten parent who attended the RSU 38 presentation summarized four options in the district’s planning materials — ranging from keeping all schools open to closing one or two schools and different reconfigurations — and said a consultant would be hired. The speaker said many parents and board members were surprised by a recommendation that would relocate Wayne’s kindergarten without prior notice to affected families.
Another resident recalled language in past consolidation documents that purportedly protected Wayne’s school from closure without a town vote; speakers warned there may be procedural workarounds and urged the board and community to examine district language, data time horizons and possible community impacts such as long bus rides and family logistics.
Board members and the town manager encouraged residents to attend a district budget meeting scheduled for the next night and said the board would review materials, ask questions of the superintendent and monitor potential impacts as the district's process continues. No board action on RSU 38 was taken at the meeting.
