BUCKFIELD — The Buckfield Withdrawal Committee decided Wednesday night that Chairman Glen Holmes should vote on all issues related to the town leaving Regional School Unit 10.

Holmes said at the first meeting that he would not vote unless there was a tie. He said several residents thought he was shirking his responsibility by not speaking on issues and casting a vote.

The four-member committee discussed the matter Wednesday at its second meeting and decided Holmes should express his opinion and vote on all issues.

At its session, held at the Municipal Center, members continued to research the feasibility of withdrawing from the district that includes Canton, Carthage, Dixfield, Peru, Buckfield, Hartford, Sumner, Byron, Mexico, Roxbury, Rumford and Hanover.

Holmes said it is necessary to develop written minutes of meetings, because there is no assurance technology for playing video recordings of meetings would exist in a few years.

Members tabled the appointment of a secretary until they determine if it could be a volunteer instead of a committee member.

Skelton, Taintor & Abbott law firm of Auburn gave the committee a proposal for legal services. The firm has experience in leading towns through the withdrawal process and provided copies of the Harpswell withdrawal agreement as a sample of their work. They offered their services for $255 per hour.

RSU 10 Superintendent Craig King said he was collecting information from RSU 10, SAD 17 in Oxford, SAD 52 in Turner, and the Rangeley and Jay school districts so the panel could compare test scores, curriculum and other factors. He will mail the information to members before the next meeting.

Committee member Judy Berg quoted King’s comment at a recent meeting in Sumner, where he maintained that the measure of how good a school is could be determined by following the outcomes of graduates.

Berg said at the first meeting that the statutory deadlines did not provide adequate time for the committee to do its work. She said she contacted the Maine Department of Education and was assured there would be no problem with getting successive 90-day waivers.

Member Jerald Wiley, who is the RSU 10 board representative, said the committee needs to analyze the numbers before making a decision.

Two major concerns were expressed by members.

As the state valuation of Rumford decreases and Buckfield’s increases, a larger share of the educational costs are being shifted to Buckfield.

Holmes said the Rumford paper mill was seeking an additional multimillion-dollar tax cut, which would further increase Buckfield’s share of the school budget.

RSU 10’s funding formula is based 75 percent on state valuation and 25 percent on student enrollment.

Wiley discussed the agreement RSU 10 reached with Dixfield, which dropped its drive to withdraw after the RSU 10 board agreed it would not close any high school with 200 or more students in grades nine to 12.

Berg pointed out there are only about 170 students in those grades at Buckfield Junior-Senior High School.

Wiley said the board has no current plans to close a high school.

King said the Buckfield school is in good shape and an asset.

Berg reminded the committee that having three high schools contributed to RSU 10’s high cost.

Selectman Cheryl Coffman is also a member of the committee.

The next meeting will be at 7 p.m. Oct. 2 in the Municipal Center. King will review the comparative data he has collected.