6 months ago
CHERRYFIELD (NEWS CENTER) -- Residents of Cherryfield and Columbia Falls will head to the polls Tuesday May 12 to decide whether or not they will shell out anywhere from $350,000 to $400,000 per town to keep the two schools in the towns open.
Earlier in the year school board members from SAD 37 voted 8 to 7 to close the two schools for economical reasons.
"I think the children are much more flexible and resilient and will do much better than we may initially think. I think we just need to give them a chance and be positive about it," said Everett Grant, a school board member who voted to close the schools.
Proponents for the school say not all options were considered. They also think that the board is going about the closure illegally. They say that according to state law, 2/3 of a school board must vote to close a school. Monday, a judge ordered selectmen from Cherryfield and Columbia Falls to sign a warrant calling for the referendum.
"We're going to discuss having our lawyer file a countersuit to take this on to get a definitive answer from the judge," said Art Tatangelo, a Cherryfield selectman.
The members of the school board who voted to close the schools say they believe students will only benefit from this plan.
"The goal of the board is to return our classrooms to one teacher per grade level. We currently have nine, I believe nine, combined classrooms," said Grant.
The board members who voted against the schools say that the Cherryfield and Columbia Falls schools have been high performing in the state.
"This school does work very well. It is a small school. It's a very intimate school in terms of the teachers knowing everybody. It's a great experience for kids," said Sheila Tatangelo, a school board member who voted against closing the schools.
Selectmen say that if voters choose to keep the schools open and their countersuit doesn't prevail, they will look into taking out a low interest municipal loan to cover the costs. They are also looking into whether they can legally dissolve their towns from SAD 37 to form their own district, an option they persuade a few years ago too.
"This is a very emotional issue for us and our kids have been successful in these small schools," Art Tatangelo said.
The town of Cherryfield will be holding a public hearing to discuss the issue Wednesday May 6 at 6:30 at the Cherryfield Elementary School.
NEWS CENTER
