The Community School District (CSD) Board of Trustees expressed concern March 5 around prioritizing extensive repairs and what trustees described as a lack of input from towns. Members considered asking taxpayers if they even want a school. 

“I’ve asked this before, but at what point in time do we just put it out to the voters and ask, ‘Do you want a high school?’” said Trustee Ronnie Campbell during discussions about renovations. “It seems to me that would be the first answer we really need from the people.” 

Facilities Director David Benner reported on a failure in the elementary school dry sprinkler system. He said the alarm went off Feb. 25, and staff found an air leak and water in the system. Benner said there was “very minimal damage” and the wet sprinkler system, the school’s main fire protection, is fully functional. The April 24 referendum on renovating Boothbay Region Elementary School (BRES) includes $175,000 to replace the almost 50-year-old dry system.

Trustees discussed moving ahead as soon as possible. They said replacement could be as far off as next year and cost around $300,000 if done separately from the referendum project.

Benner also reported, work on a new security entrance for Boothbay Region High School (BRHS) could start as soon as the summer, and the district is gathering proposals for repairs on the BRES roof to mitigate leaks and replacing aging fuel tanks at both schools. 

These projects are part of a list of repairs board members said is growing dire, especially at BRHS. Chair Steve Lorrain said if repairs are ignored, the school’s fate will be out of local control. He said critical systems including heating, electrical and ventilation are reaching the end of their serviceable life.  

“If you wait for a system to fail it’s not just that system ... it’s everything that system destroyed,” said Trustee Paul Roberts. BRHS Principal Tricia Campbell added, “most of the systems at the high school are at that point.”  

Trustees discussed hundreds of thousands of dollars of renovations this year to keep both schools operational, after last November’s failing referendum vote to repair and renovate them. 

“We’re spinning our wheels while we’re waiting for a bomb to go off, and we’ve been doing it for a long time,” Ronnie Campbell said. Trustees said they have been working with some repairs over five years. The board discussed phasing repairs but came up at a loss. According to members, there are many balls in the air, and the board is having difficulty figuring out how to catch them, or if they should.

Lorrain complained about lack of public guidance and expressed frustration that taxpayers have not been more involved in the process, especially, he said, at public meetings. “The CSD belongs to the two towns, it’s a public thing,” Lorrain said. “The two towns ought to be proud of it or just be done with it. There is no almost. You either have a school or don't have a school.” 

Members also said they don’t have clear direction on the topic of regionalization. The board questioned the point of working on repairs if taxpayers ultimately want a different school system.  

Alternative Organizational Structure (AOS) 98 Superintendent Robert Kahler said he has gone to town meetings and has gotten varied answers on regionalization efforts. CSD School Board Chair Peggy Splaine, who is on a subcommittee looking into it, said: “It's up to the town, it's up to the people, and that's why it's such a hard question to answer. We can't just go to the boards who are just three people.” 

Ronnie Campbell said prospects for a regional school could take at least 15 years, and look slim. “This has been five years out, talking about just fixing the schools,” he said. “I don’t see how long it would be to convince another town to take our problems.” 

The board also discussed costs for regionalization. Kahler said if taxpayers decide to regionalize, the entire exploratory process would have to begin again, and the CSD is unlikely to get another $2.5 million donation to fund it. Board members added, the cost of transportation alone could be prohibitive.  

The board decided to schedule a meeting in May to discuss prioritizing repairs. However, trustees identified the high school security entrance and elementary-middle school dry sprinkler system as top priorities and discussed deciding on them earlier. And they directed Kahler to investigate how to ask taxpayers if they want a high school.