Wiscasset's school committee is looking for a much-pared adult education program that could be run by the town or Regional School Unit 1 in Bath.

The committee has asked Interim Superintendent Wayne Dorr to find out more about RSU 1's offer to take on the high school completion program for about $10,000. That's the only adult education piece that committee members said they think the town can afford, out of the larger program Regional School Unit 12 has had in Wiscasset.

They also said they're willing to see what Anne Fensie, director of the district's Wiscasset program, can propose for high school completion if the town doesn't farm it out.

Fensie said she would get that proposal to the committee.

Earlier in the April 3 workshop, Fensie made her latest, $78,897 budget offer, down from the approximately $89,000 one she first proposed. The new version eliminated no programs, but it, too, failed to get the committee's backing.

Fensie encouraged the panel to look over the comments people have posted on her online petition in support of adult education in Wiscasset. School Committee member Sharon Nichols, said of the 165 signers so far, 34 live in Wiscasset. (Since the meeting, Nichols has resigned her post on the committee, effective June 2014.)

Fensie called adult education an absolute necessity for Wiscasset. The program provides job-training, and brings people in to town not only to take classes, but patronize businesses; it also helps residents who don't have children in the school system, see the value of the school system, she said.

Committee members strongly praised the current program. But the town is out of the school district on July 1 and cannot afford a program that big, members said.

The current program includes enrichment and other courses, in addition to helping people ages 16 through 20 get their high school diploma or a high-school equivalency degree.

Vice Chairman Steve Smith said that maybe the program could be expanded in the future, but Chairman Glen Craig tried to avoid raising hopes.

“I'm not going to put that carrot out there if it's not attainable,” Craig said.

Cleaning company to court committee

The committee agreed to hear a presentation by a cleaning company about the services it offers. Many school districts consider hiring out for those services instead of having union workers do them, according to Dorr. RSU 12 maintenance and transportation director John Merry told the committee not to expect the company's services to include setting out chairs or other routine building work beyond the cleaning.

“That means an added expense for us,” committee member Eugene Stover said.

Dorr said he expects the schools' maintenance staff and a union representative to attend Benchmark Cleaning Services' presentation at 4 p.m., April 9, in the Wiscasset High School library.

 More meetings

The cleaning company’s presentation was one of several meetings added to the committee’s schedule. Another was set for 6 p.m. April 10, also in the high school library, with representatives of Westport Island's withdrawal committee. That panel is looking to see if Wiscasset will educate Westport Island students not accepted into the schools their families choose.

A public hearing on the budget will be held April 14 at 6 p.m., in the high school library; and at 4 p.m., April 16, Dorr plans to take the committee on a tour of the high school. Due to the continuing issue of consolidation, he said he wants to show committee members why he believes the school is not currently prepared to take in grades seven and eight.