Withdrawal committee approves town withdrawal agreements and authorizes legal filings to state DOE

The withdrawal committee overseeing several towns’ separation efforts approved the withdrawal agreements and authorized the committee’s attorney to submit signed copies to the state Department of Education, members said.

Why it matters: The approvals formalize each town’s intent to withdraw and begin the administrative process required by the state, and the committee also asked counsel to file a notice of intent to form a regional school unit (RSU), a step that starts the reorganization timeline.

The committee chair (Speaker 1) opened discussion by noting members had copies of the withdrawal agreement and that signatures were needed to advance the process. A member identified in the transcript as a committee member (Speaker 2) moved that the committee “authorize our attorney to send copies of the withdrawal agreement from each of our towns to the state DOE,” a motion the chair seconded; members present voted in favor.

Speaker 2 later moved an amendment to “authorize our attorney to file on our town’s behalf the enclosed notice of intent to form a regional school unit in addition to sending the withdrawal paperwork,” and Speaker 4 seconded the amendment; the committee voted to adopt the revision.

Members also took up procedural details: they agreed the town chair should initial pages where required, discussed which pages needed signatures for each town (including the box labeled "Town of Buckfield"), and arranged scanning and transmission of signed pages to counsel. Several speakers emphasized the value of having a signed copy and an unsigned copy in case the state requires different documentation.

What wasn’t recorded: The meeting transcript records motions and that votes passed (“all in favor”), but it does not include roll-call vote tallies or a recorded vote-by-name for the motions on withdrawal agreement approvals or the authorization to submit paperwork. The transcript likewise does not provide a meeting date on the record; the committee referenced upcoming select-board meetings on July 7 when discussing appointments to the reorganization planning committee.

Next steps: Committee members said they will sign pages, have them scanned and sent to the lawyer, and the attorney will file the documents with the state Department of Education. The body indicated the reorganization planning committee work will be scheduled at the next set of meetings and that the attorney should also file the notice of intent to form an RSU.

Representative quotes from the meeting:

“I move that we authorize our attorney to send copies of the withdrawal agreement from each of our towns to the state DOE,” Speaker 2 said when proposing the submission motion.

“I would like to authorize our attorney to file on our town’s behalf the enclosed notice of intent to form a regional school unit in addition to sending the withdrawal paperwork,” Speaker 2 said when offering the amendment.

The meeting record shows the motions were made, seconded, and approved, and the committee adjourned after confirming next procedural steps.