Guest urges Select Board to seek equal town representation on RSU strategic planning committee

Stan, a local school stakeholder who addressed the Select Board on June 16, urged the board to ask the regional school district to give each town equal representation on the strategic planning committee and to let Wayne’s Select Board appoint the town’s members. “A, we would like to have equal representation by town and B, when you… the Select Board appointed the Wayne members,” Stan said, arguing equal representation would better protect the town’s interests if the strategic plan recommends consolidations or school closures.

Board members and Stan flagged a related concern: the ‘plan to plan’ group has had a single town manager (from Readfield) participating, and that official’s status as a town manager gives that town outsized influence in discussions. Stan and others suggested that either equivalent officials be present from each town or that Select Boards appoint representatives so authority is balanced.

The board discussed the district’s existing RSU agreement governance (Wayne noted a roughly 14% share by one measure) and whether the strategic planning committee should be proportional by population or equal by town. Several Select Board members said town-based representation matters because school closures have town-level impacts. One board member said that, under state law a school building closure requires town approval; the group also debated how the RSU agreement and state law interact and asked that the consultant examine the legal and fiscal implications.

During the exchange, a speaker estimated a potential fiscal penalty of about $2 million a year if the RSU funding formula were not honored; board members said that figure should be examined by the consultant rather than accepted as fact. The group also noted the superintendent and the consultant (named in packet materials as the New England School Development Council / NESDEC) would determine the committee structure and selection process in early work after a contract is processed and after July 4, which creates a narrow window for the towns to weigh in.

Members weighed whether the current (lame-duck) Select Board should send a short letter now requesting equal representation and town appointments or whether to defer to the incoming board at the regular meeting on July 7. Several members favored sending a brief request immediately because the consultant’s work is scheduled to begin in early July; others recommended briefing the new board. The Select Board did not take a binding vote on a letter but agreed to prepare language for consideration and noted Teresa (a district contact) is expected to update the board at the July 7 meeting.

Why it matters: The committee developing a long-range strategic plan could affect the future of Wayne Elementary by recommending grade consolidations or closures that would influence next year’s budget and district structure. Who sits on that advisory committee and how they are selected are therefore central to how towns’ local interests are represented.

What’s next: The consultant work begins after July 4, Teresa is expected at the Select Board’s July 7 meeting to provide an update, and the board agreed to draft a short letter asking for town-appointed members and consideration of equal representation. The Select Board did not adopt final language at the June 16 meeting.