Regional school unit

A regional school unit is a type of school district in Maine.

They were created starting in 2008 pursuant to a change in Maine Law that attempted to save on administrative costs by consolidating Maine's many school districts into larger districts. This change was championed by Governor John Baldacci.[1][2]

Despite a deadline of January 30, 2009, many voters rejected their local school consolidation plans, citing issues such as loss of local control and higher costs due to bringing lower-paid teachers up to parity.[3] For example, Brewer faced an annual loss of $244,000 in state subsidies for rejecting the consolidation plan, but potentially a loss of $2.74 million in increased salaries over the first 3 years if it had been approved.[4]

As of November 20, 2009, 74 RSUs had been formed.[5]

References
  1. Carrier, Paul (January 9, 2003). "Baldacci sees 'greatness' in state's future". Portland Press-Herald. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  2. Smith, Peter (February 1, 2007). "School district consolidation plan gets chilly reception". The Forecaster. Archived from the original on July 16, 2007. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  3. Harlow, Doug (January 28, 2009). "School plan 'dead'". Morning Sentinel. Archived from the original on January 31, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  4. Ricker, Nok-Noi (January 28, 2009). "10 towns shoot down RSU 15 consolidation". Bangor Daily News. Archived from the original on January 31, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  5. "Former and current school systems" (xls). State of Maine. Retrieved 2010-01-04.


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