Five years ago this week, Wiscasset went independent on education. July 1, 2014 was the town's first day outside Sheepscot Valley Regional School Unit 12.

How's it going?

OK and, in some respects, better than OK.

Closing and selling a school made sense, enrollment-wise and money-wise. Closing two would have been too soon, and still is. Big change takes time for a town. That doesn’t mean never. It means not jumping too soon. That’s how you fall. Rather, it’s about when to jump, and if.

The schools’ evolving and adapting, moving some grades to the high school,  expanding special education there and Pre-K at the elementary school, have been part of the adjustment and the effort of an independent Wiscasset school system.

The department is a work in progress, but so is every local and regional school unit and every government entity, national, state and local. So is every business.

So when we lose another administrator or new costs come along, as they always will, it matters, but it is not a sign Wiscasset voters got it wrong leaving the district. They might have done just fine staying in. The district is still  there, the formula changed along the way and, unlike Wiscasset, SVRSU has had one superintendent this whole time. But Wiscasset had its reasons to leave, has not tried to get back in, agreed to some sharing in areas it made it sense, and has good news to share often, like the recent opening of Wiscasset Elementary’s outdoor classroom.

Happy anniversary, Wiscasset School Department. Let’s see what the next five years bring.

Week’s positive parting thought: The Red Sox lost, but it was still pretty neat for Red Sox nation to be part of a European first, the major league baseball series in London.