York Town News
York subcommittee recommends accepting Ogunquit students
Jennifer L. Saunders and C. Ayn Douglass
The Ogunquit Village School, and whether it could be used by York and Ogunquit students if the two towns can agree on an education plan for Ogunquit's 44 students in grades K through 12, remains a variable in ongoing discussions between Ogunquit officials and the York School Committee.
Photo by C. Ayn Douglass
YORK and OGUNQUIT - The York School Committee has heard the first recommendations of its Ogunquit Subcommittee, but has asked for more information before making a formal decision.
At its meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 2, the School Committee accepted a report from Superintendent of Schools Henry Scipione, Assistant Superintendent Jim Amoroso, and School Committee members Tim Fitzgerald and Mary Jane Merrill, who serve on the subcommittee.
"The bottom line in that was that the subcommittee recommended we accept the Ogunquit students on a tuition basis and there be no governance connection with that agreement," Scipione said.
The committee was created after the town of Ogunquit submitted a proposal to the York School Committee back in January seeking a new way to educate its approximately 50 students in grades K-12.
The request came forward after what the initial proposal deems "a long history of disputes and mistrust" between Ogunquit and Wells, the two towns that comprise the Wells-Ogunquit Community School District.
The proposal recommended several possible solutions, including providing education to Ogunquit students on a contract basis, if the Legislature approves the dissolution of the Wells-Ogunquit CSD, and using the Ogunquit Village School for K-4 education of Ogunquit and Cape Neddick students, administered by the York School District with school renovations funded by Ogunquit.
From Ogunquit's perspective, as highlighted in the initial proposal, "A York-Ogunquit school regionalization could be the only practical means of making an all-day kindergarten program palatable to the taxpayers and voters in York. … York could gain additional elementary school space without bearing additional school construction or expansion costs."
At this time, however, the School Committee's Ogunquit Subcommittee is instead recommending that York offer to accept Ogunquit's students on a straight tuition basis at a rate to be determined through negotiations.
"The offer of tuition by Ogunquit is made with no official or implied representation of the York School Committee," the recommendation reads. "Ogunquit to assume the cost of transportation of Ogunquit students to York Schools. York rejects the offer to utilize and/or administer the Ogunquit Village School."
That being said, the School Committee itself is not taking any action until October at the earliest to give Ogunquit officials time to respond and to explore issues within the recommendations.
"We came to the conclusion that it was not going to be a viable option for us," Scipione said of the Ogunquit Village School.
The committee reviewed such factors as the geographical location of Cape Neddick's students, traffic patters in the area and the K-2 and 3-4 grade groupings of York's schools against a proposed K-4 grouping at the Ogunquit Village Schools.
"After a review of the facility, we felt that really was not economically viable for us,
Scipione said of the subcommittee's exploration of such options as extended kindergarten, special education and administration uses.
Scipione said he asked the York School Committee not to take any action to allow Ogunquit time to respond.
The proposal is slated for the committee's first meeting in October and the School Committee has asked for additional information on such issues as an additional review of possible uses of the school building.
Meanwhile, Ogunquit officials said they will continue to wait until the subcommittee presents any additional findings and recommendations to the full School Committee, but are hopeful that the discussions at least are giving them some leverage in their talks with Wells.
Ogunquit selectmen were scheduled to hold an executive session on Tuesday, Aug. 8, to talk about legal issues regarding school funding, and Selectman Jon Speers said that would include possible language to draft for the Legislature to change the funding formula imposed on Ogunquit for educating its 44 students in grades K-12.
"This is all going to be talked about in light of another bill to be presented to the legislature," he said.
Speers said he expected some discussion to take place on the strategy the board could take in its meeting with Wells.
"This is going to be getting our ducks in order for our discussion with Wells," he said. "The thing is we have to get out of our deal with Wells and Wells has never said, 'We don't want your children.' Even as tuition students in either town, we have to think of this as a seven- or eight-year plan. There are students who are currently enrolled in Wells, who have made friends there and may not want to move into (the York system)."
One of five recommendations proposed by Ogunquit - the future use of the Ogunquit Village School - is still left in controversy.
Speers acknowledged the building has been sitting idle for several years due to concerns by the state fire marshal's office.
"It seems nonsensical to have that asset and not be using it," he said. "Right now the York subcommittee's feeling is the building may not fit with York's needs. The logistics of bussing and the fact that it is three stories high seemed to be a problem for York."
Ogunquit Chairman of the Board of Selectmen John Miller got the same sense of mixed interest on the part of the subcommittee as to the use of the school.
"They thought the likelihood of using it for a kindergarten was remote because of geographical problems," he said, "but bussing the kids from Ogunquit and Cape Neddick and the Heights in York seems reasonable."
Miller said he was not concerned about the costs associated with retrofitting the Ogunquit Village School because those repair costs could be easily offset by the reduction in costs by paying tuition to York instead of paying $3.9 million per year to Wells.
"We were all pleased with the interest shown, but we all have to decide what is the best course of action," he said. "Nobody came out and said 'No, we don't want to have anything to do with it'."
Ogunquit Budget Committee member Loring DeAgazio, who also attended the meeting, said, "I would hope there would be a win/win situation for both towns. York needs additional space for its kindergarten and I just hope we can find a solution that will work for both towns."
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