Upcoming referendum to decide fate of AOS 99
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
Residents in Blaine, Bridgewater, Fort Fairfield and Mars Hill will formally vote March 19 whether to dissolve AOS 99 (Mid-County School District) and return to their previous structures — Bridgewater School Department, SAD 20 (Fort Fairfield) and SAD 42 (Mars Hill).
Voters will be asked, “Shall the Dissolution Plan for AOS 99 Mid-County School System, as approved by the school boards of SAD 20, SAD 42, the Bridgewater School Department and the State of Maine Commissioner of Education, be approved; and shall AOS 99 Mid-County School System be dissolved as of June 30, 2012 in accordance with the terms of that Plan?”
“Parents and taxpayers have told us they prefer district leadership that is onsite and available to deal with the unique issues and challenges of each of the local school systems,” said AOS 99 Superintendent Marc Gendron, formerly the superintendent of SAD 20.
AOS 99 was established July 1, 2009 to provide system, transportation and special education administration, as well as the implementation of business functions including accounting, reporting, payroll, financial management, purchasing, insurance and auditing.
AOS 99 Assistant Superintendent Roger Shaw, formerly the SAD 42 superintendent, said that AOS 99 was formed, in large part, to avoid state-imposed penalties on districts that didn’t regionalize. However, in the last session, the Legislature passed a law that removes those penalties as of July 1.
“We avoided paying about $350,000 in penalties, and that was good, but that was the only real savings we can attribute to the AOS,” Shaw said. “Now that the Legislature has taken the penalties away, local school boards can decide what’s best for their districts and still share services when, where and with whom it makes sense.”
Bridgewater, for example, contracted for superintendent and special education services prior to the formation of the AOS and will do so again once the AOS is dissolved.
Both Shaw and Gendron agree that the sharing of “best practices” and ideas between districts has occurred, and will continue as both districts move forward.
The SAD 20 and SAD 42 school boards, and the Bridgewater School Committee, each voted unanimously to approve and submit the final dissolution plan to the Commissioner of Education at meetings held Dec. 13, 2011. The plan was submitted to the Commissioner in accordance with the interlocal agreement the three districts crafted when they initially came together. With the Commissioner’s approval, the next step is to hold a referendum vote in each of the four communities which are part of the AOS.
If any of the four towns vote to approve the dissolution, the AOS will be dissolved June 30 and all administrative and personnel contracts will expire on the same date. Staffing decisions, including the hiring of a superintendent, will be at the discretion of the individual local school boards in each of the School Administrative Units and any real or personal property acquired for the operation of the AOS central office will be distributed to member school units based on the average amount each contributed to the AOS budget.
“During the duration of the AOS,” said Gendron, “the districts have benefited by sharing experiences and resources. While this must continue, each district school board has come to recognize that district leadership that is onsite — available and focused on the unique issues and challenges of each local school system — is ultimately best for the students of that district.”
Informational public hearings were held in Bridgewater, Fort Fairfield and Mars Hill, and according to Gendron, went very smoothly.
“There wasn’t much dissention or very little negative comments about the plan,” he said, “so I’m fairly confident that the communities will vote to dissolve the AOS. They like the idea of having local control and only one superintendent in charge for that area.”
Polls will be open at the Blaine Town Office from 9 a.m.-6 p.m., the Bridgewater Town Office from 10 a.m.-6 p.m., the Fort Fairfield Community Center from 8 a.m.-8 p.m., and the Mars Hill Fire Station from 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
