LIVERMORE — Class sizes, school security, future costs and closing schools were on the minds of some who attended a public hearing on school consolidation Wednesday.

More than 50 people from Livermore, Livermore Falls and Jay attended the second of three hearings a plan to merge the Jay School Department and Regional School Unit 36. The last hearing is at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12, at Livermore Falls High School.

Voters in each town will make the decision Tuesday, Jan. 25, or before that if they have voted by secret ballot.

If the plan is approved in the towns in both school systems by a majority vote, then it will provide a framework for how the new school district will be run, RSU 36 Superintendent Sue Pratt said.

Livermore Falls resident Katrina Roy asked what would happen if the plan is not approved.

“If it’s a no, you’ll get the bill for it,“ retired teacher and Livermore Budget Committee Warren Bryant said.

Whether you are a renter or property owner, Clayton Putnam of Livermore Falls said.

Pratt and Jay school Superintendent Bob Wall explained what was in the plan and what was not. They also discussed declining student populations and loss of revenue for education that are expected to continue to go down. With that comes less programming for students and elimination of staff.

Over the last few years, creating school budgets has been like pulling rabbits out of a hat, Pratt said. “Quite frankly, there are no more rabbits to pull out of a hat.”

The school systems are each looking at losing more than $200,000 in state revenue for the coming budget. That does not include the more than $400,000 combined that the systems would lose through penalties for not being in compliance with the reorganization law and other factors, she said.

“The plan is based on the premise of creating the best system we can collectively,” she said.

The reorganization law requires that 2006 student populations be used in a consolidation plan, she said. That number combined was 1,868. In December 2010, the systems have a collective 1,685 students.

Residents wanted to know class sizes if the two were combined.

Pratt and Wall believed that the maximum of students in one class would be 20 students. But there could be some exceptions, they said.

The Reorganization Planning Committee has recommended closing the Livermore Falls Middle School. That is not in the plan. It will be a new school board that would decide that, and then the voters in Livermore and Livermore Falls. If they decide against it, then those towns would be responsible to pay the difference to keep it open.

Mary Hayford of Livermore asked why would they want to close a school after spending thousands of dollars to get it accredited.

Pratt said though facilities are included in the accreditation to a degree, that accreditation mostly focuses on educational aspects that would follow the students and staff wherever they go.

Hayford suggested that students and teachers who attend the Livermore Falls Middle School go to the Jay Middle School prior to the vote to see how they would fit. Pratt said it was a good idea.

Both school systems have security systems in schools, with Jay schools having cameras at all entrances. RSU 36 systems need to be upgraded, Pratt said.

Asked why the cost-sharing was based on valuation and not student population, Wall said all scenarios were looked at.

If the plan was in effect today, then only 7 percent of the budget, the part that exceeds state’s allocation and the required local match, would be shared.

If a big business closes in one town, then those numbers can be reviewed and amended in the future. They are required to be reviewed in five years but could be done sooner, Wall said.

If the plan went by student population alone, then certain systems would see a tremendous increase in education costs, he said.

dperry@sunjournal.com