Richmond residents voice concerns, questions about withdrawal from RSU 2 ahead of November vote

Richmond residents are set to decide in November whether the town should withdraw from Hallowell-based Regional School Unit 2. About 400 students attend the two Richmond schools in RSU 2, Marcia Buker Elementary School and Richmond Middle and High School. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

RICHMOND — To Gary Carter, withdrawing Richmond from Regional School Unit 2 would mean more than gaining local control — it would rebuild a sense of community he says has been lacking since the town became part of the district 15 years ago.

Carter shared his concerns Monday night at a public hearing about the November referendum that asks residents whether the town should formally withdraw from RSU 2. About 25 people gathered to discuss the issue and ask Richmond’s withdrawal committee questions.

The teacher of 40 years said he is “worried for what the future holds” if the town remains part of Hallowell-based RSU 2 after seeing many of his co-workers — teachers, principals and superintendents — leave the district from what he attributes to “frustration and fatigue” over certain learning initiatives.

“I don’t know what it will cost, but I do know what it will cost to be a part of (RSU 2) and something that is functioning poorly,” Carter said.

That sentiment was echoed by many other residents who came to Monday’s hearing. Several in attendance spoke on ever-changing “proficiency-based learning” initiatives and the lack of local control to make decisions as simple as repairing a pothole or painting a wall before school starts.

About 400 students attend the two Richmond schools in RSU 2, Marcia Buker Elementary School and Richmond Middle and High School.

The town’s withdrawal committee consists of resident Michael Wing, Selectman Andy Alexander and RSU 2 board members Amanda McDaniel and Russ Hughes. Martha Witham serves as a financial consultant.

McDaniel was appointed to the RSU 2 board after she had joined the withdrawal committee, to fill Jay Brown’s seat. She said she took the role of RSU 2 school board member “as a parent” to “represent Richmond.”

Only one person in the audience spoke out against the withdrawal, saying she feared her taxes would go up significantly. As part of the multi-town district, she said, Richmond already has access to educational services, food service and other positions that the town would need to contract out if it became its own district.

“It doesn’t take much in one year to a budget to blow out of the water,” she said. “I prioritize my children’s education over the tax bill, but we need a plan.”

Though she was the only one vocally against the withdrawal, other people agreed the district “needs a plan.”

Witham explained that it can be difficult to come up with an effective plan — and budget — without a school board in place. The school board would make decisions related to hiring and needs that can only be determined when the district is fully separate from RSU 2.

A draft budget based on costs in 2021-22 indicates it would cost the town $3,862,529 to run its own school district, about $100,000 more than the $3,756,623 it contributed to the RSU 2 budget that year.

Richmond’s share of the RSU 2 budget for 2022-23 is $3,874,480.

LOCAL CONTROL

The biggest complaint residents voiced about being part of RSU 2 was the lack of “local control” the town has. School board members who represent Richmond can be outvoted on issues that negatively impact the town, for instance.

Witham, who was the last superintendent of the Richmond School District before it was consolidated into RSU 2, said by withdrawing from the district, Richmond would gain control of three areas: the budget, the curricula, and the elected and appointed officials who run the schools.

Martha Witham addresses the crowd during a public hearing in Richmond about the upcoming referendum on whether the town should formally withdraw from Regional School Unit 2. Witham is a financial consultant for the town’s withdrawal committee and was the last superintendent of the Richmond School District before it was consolidated into RSU 2. Emily Duggan/Kennebec Journal

With a new school board and central office staff, the school could either create new policies — such as allowing the buildings to be used as polling places — or vote against policies.

Dissatisfaction with the curricula — and the test scores of Richmond students — has been at the center of most discussions about the need for local control. If the town formed its own district, the new officials could choose to do away with proficiency-based grading, which grades students on a number scale instead of a letter scale.

“One job of the board is to approve all curriculum. The state sets standards, but not proficiency. The state sets one test — the NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association),” Witham explained. “Teaching is an art and craft where you have to have the teachers know their craft and implement their art.”

Witham said that in a large district, teachers’ perspectives on which aspects of curricula are working and not working for students can get lost.

Hughes, who sits on both the RSU 2 board of directors and Richmond withdrawal committee, has long advocated in RSU 2 school board meetings for the board to do something about Richmond’s test scores. According to a handout given at Monday’s meeting with data from Niche.com, most students are performing below what the state considers proficient. In the elementary, middle and high schools, students have an average grade of a “C.”

Though most teachers in the audience said to take the test scores with a grain of salt, Hughes said he does not feel confident “the board will do anything” to address the scores and advocated for withdrawal as a way for the town to help its students do better.

“We owe more to students, and we owe it to them to do better,” Hughes said.

WITHDRAWAL HAS BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR A WHILE

Richmond has considered removing itself from the Hallowell-based district for years.

The town joined RSU 2 in 2007 when former Gov. John Baldacci required the consolidation of the 280 independent school districts into 80 and threatened to take away funding if the districts did not do so. As explained at Monday’s meeting, Richmond had already teamed up with Hall-Dale High School for certain projects and felt like joining the district made sense.

In RSU 2, there are five municipalities, three of which, including Richmond, have tried to withdraw from the district. Monmouth tried in 2012. Dresden tried in the past year but did not receive the votes to move forward. The other two municipalities are Farmingdale and Hallowell.

Most said if Richmond does withdraw, it will “take work,” and as a community, everyone will “have to step up.”

Richmond voted 714 to 373 last year in favor of withdrawing, but did not meet the threshold of the number of voters needed to make the vote count. Officials expect a bigger turnout on this year’s Election Day, Nov. 8.