The Westport Island and Alna school committees voted Tuesday evening to consolidate with five other towns, under LD499, the law that mandates statewide school consolidation plan.

The proposed name of the new RSU (Regional School Unit) is the Sheepscot Valley Regional School Unit and includes the towns of Alna, Westport Island, Palermo, Somerville, Whitefield, Windsor and Wiscasset.

The two school committees voted unanimously to submit the reorganization plan to the Commissioner of Education Susan Gendron.

The school committees approved a motion that sets an "operational date" of July 1, 2009. The school committees from the other five towns are expected to approve the same motion before the December 1 deadline.

Voters in the seven towns will vote on the consolidation plan in June of 2008. According to Wiscasset Superintendent of Schools Jay McIntire, it is only then that the plan can be adopted. Right now the plan must be approved by the Commissioner of Education.

The towns included in the plan have a total of 1,865 students. Although the school units are supposed to have a student population of 2,500, Gendron can approve units with less than 2,500 students when there are unique circumstances, according to McIntire. The 2,500 students per school unit is based on a population density of 100 people per square mile. The population density of the seven towns is 58 people in 204 square miles.

Alna's population is 683 with 103 students; Palermo's population is 1,358, with 235 students; Somerville's population is 537 with 80 students; Westport Island's population is 821 with 107 students; Whitefield's population is 2,234 with 340 students; Windsor's population is 2,297 with 444 students; and Wiscasset's population is 3,871 with 569 students.

The town of Chelsea had shown an interested in becoming part of the consolidation plan but that town has apparently not made a decision yet. Alna and Westport decided to move forward with the seven towns, and leave the door open for Chelsea.

Other business discussed at the meeting included changes in the school budget approval.

Beginning with the next fiscal year, the legislature has determined that school budgets will be presented and approved using the "Cost Center Summary Budget" format and budget validation referendum procedure. These changes will apply not only to RSU's but also to all remaining SADs, CSDs and municipal school units.

The school budget must have 11 line items. After school committee approval, it goes to a town meeting where each of the 11 line items can be increased or decreased by the voters. Within the next 10 days of the town meeting, a referendum vote must be held which involves one vote, yes or no, on the total budget approved at the town meeting. The amount of money will not be on the ballot, but it must be posted in the polling place so that the voters know the amount of money they are approving or rejecting. If the referendum fails the process starts over again.

Absentee ballots must be printed in advance of the referendum vote; Wiscasset requires they be available 45 days prior to the vote. With the required town meeting coming just 10 days before the vote, this means the amount of money for the school budget that was previously proposed may change at the town meeting. According to McIntire, school budget votes cast on absentee ballots that are turned in before the town meeting will not be counted. People voting absentee would be asked, when possible, to wait until after the town meeting to turn their ballots in.