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 2021, 77 RSUs had been formed.[5]

List of RSUs

edit

References

edit
  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. ^ "SAU and Town Cross Reference".
edit