June 16, Community School District (CSD) trustees raised concerns about the impact students who go to CSD schools under student transfer agreements (superintendent agreements) have on local taxpayers, as they are not legally required to pay tuition.

 

In a post-meeting interview, Alternative Organizational Structure (AOS) Superintendent Robert Kahler said the CSD does not get a state subsidy for these students, as it is a minimum receiver.

 

The trustees' discussion focused on the children of non-residential CSD employees, who are allowed to attend the CSD as an employee benefit. Kahler said there are currently 15 students from nine teachers in the CSD.

 

Between Boothbay Region Elementary School (BRES) and Boothbay Region High School (BRHS), there are 110 attending students from outside the district, according to April 2026 enrollment records. This includes both tuition-paying students and those under superintendent agreements.

 

Tuition-paying students include, for example, children above sixth grade from Edgecomb and Southport. As those towns do not offer higher grade levels at their schools, the towns pay for them to go to the CSD. Parents who want their children to attend the CSD but failed to obtain a superintendent agreement can also pay for their child to attend, said Kahler.

 

In a superintendent agreement, two superintendents may approve the transfer of a student from their residential public school administrative unit (SAU) to another if they agree it is in the student’s best interest. If the superintendents deny the request, there are several rounds of appeal. The last level involves the issue being brought before the State Board of Education.

 

Adjustments were recently made to this final level, including that no new evidence be presented at the appeal, a recommendation that the concerned parties fill out a common form to standardize the procedure and board deliberations will now be made privately.  

 

Board members did not have an issue with the children of CSD employees attending, pointing to the parental ease of mind of children being close by and the positive optics of employees wanting their children to attend the schools. However, concerns were reiterated about the strain on Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor taxpayers.

 

Suggestions were made about presenting the issue to the state to see if the policy could be changed so that a student’s residential SAU would have to send tuition to the CSD.

 

In other business, the trustees approved continuing Director of Facilities David Benner’s contract to 2027/2028.

 

They also approved Benner reaching out to Portland Glass for $9,805 for security film on the windows at BRHS. Benner also discussed future testing being done at BRES and BRHS to make sure the new fuel tanks, which are taller than the prior models, will fit properly. Costs for both projects are covered by the $1.6 million repair bond.

 

Exploratory work is being done at BRES to see if a section of sewer pipe needs to be relined or if the floor needs to be removed for pipe replacement, said Benner.

 

Paul Roberts and Sewall Maddocks will be conducting interviews for an on-site manager for the Boothbay Region Elementary School’s renovation projects. The candidates are Dirigo Architectural, Engineering and Construction Management, and Colliers Project Leaders.