LIVERMORE FALLS — Residents of Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls will decide Tuesday whether they want to consolidate two school systems, just miles apart, into one.

They rejected a previous plan in January 2009. In a survey the following year, a majority of residents responding said they wanted to try again. At the time, the state delayed penalties by one year to school districts not conforming to the state reorganization law. That year is nearly up.

A 13-member Reorganization Planning Committee has worked since May 2010 to develop a proposal. More than 90 people from the communities served on subcommittees and gave input for the plan that was finalized by the committee in October.

There are no savings expected the first year, except for not losing education subsidy to pay penalties: $224,235 for Jay and $171,366 for RSU 36.

Officials say they expect student programming would be enhanced and taxpayer costs contained by the merger.

Proponents of the plan cite continued decline of student enrollment, loss of state revenue and the rising cost of education, among other things.

Those in favor believe a consolidated school system would allow enhanced education and athletic offerings to students, and would keep education costs steady for taxpayers. They fear programs will dwindle if they don’t consolidate.

Critics of the plan say they still don’t have the answers they need to move forward and are concerned about risking what they already have.

Some Jay residents voiced concern over giving their municipal school property to a regional system, not having an equal number of votes as the RSU 36 towns of Livermore and Livermore Falls combined, and paying 71 percent of the additional local costs of a budget. Cost-sharing is based on valuation but could change in the future under methods outlined in the plan.

People in Livermore and Livermore Falls have raised issues about the possibility of closing schools in Livermore Falls and paying more for education.

Planning Committee members have recommended that a new school board close Livermore Falls Middle School and send those students to Jay Middle School.

There is also a recommendation that Livermore Falls High School be closed in the second year. Both recommendations are not included in the plan going for a vote Tuesday. Another recommendation is to leave the two elementary schools open.

Cost-sharing among the three towns will be done on additional local money that exceeds the state’s education formula. Currently, Jay’s budget of about $9.1 million exceeds the formula by about $1.18 million; In RSU 36, the $9.1 million budget exceeds the formula by about $490,000, which includes local-only debt on Livermore Elementary School. Next year’s formula would include the cost of a new roof for Jay High School and a computer lease for RSU 36.

The proposed plan favors reducing staff through attrition.

Currently, students in both high schools travel to the opposite school to take courses that are not offered at their schools. Juniors and seniors have the option of attending Foster Regional Applied Technology Center in Farmington.

Jay Superintendent Robert Wall told residents during public hearings on the plan that the school systems will have to reinvent themselves to stay viable and to offer students more opportunity to succeed.

dperry@sunjournal.com