Westport Island selectmen wasted no time in notifying the Department of Education Commissioner and the district school board chairman that the town voted to proceed with the withdrawal process.

The board voted to send the notices at a special selectmen's meeting June 14, following the town's vote on June 12.

The special meeting was called to approve and sign the necessary paperwork required to notify Commissioner of Education Stephen Bowen and RSU 12 School Board Chairman Hilary Holm of the town's vote to begin the withdrawal process.

At the June 14 meeting, the selectmen also reviewed the warrant articles for the town meeting on June 23.

The selectmen's letters to Bowen and Holm outlined the inequity in the district's cost sharing formula. It also discussed the school board's inability after three years to agree upon a new formula in order to correct the inequity.

"An analysis by the Westport Island petitioners, with input from the town's budget committee and from an ad-hoc Education Research Committee, shows serious structural inequity in cost sharing among member towns in RSU 12, with the most significant lack of equity being suffered by Westport Island," the selectmen wrote. "The current cost sharing arrangement calls for fixed percentage shares with no adjustments for changing student counts."

"Westport Island, being a 'minimum receiver' town with declining enrollment, has incurred increases in education cost since becoming a member of RSU 12 relative to the cost borne as an independent tuition town. This increase was most dramatically revealed in terms of cost per student," the selectmen explained.

Westport Island's share of the approved 2013 RSU 12 budget is $1.2 million for educating a total of 66 students (based on the April 12 student census), which amounts to $18,434 per student, according to the selectmen's letters to Bowen and Holm. In comparison, the average local cost per student for the district is just under $6,500.

Petitioners attempting to begin the withdrawal process have estimated a potential annual savings of about $400,000 to the town, if the town does vote to withdraw.

The next step is for the selectmen to choose three members to serve on the withdrawal committee as defined by state law: one from the group that originally presented the petition, one selectman and one resident at large. The RSU will also need to choose a Westport Island school board member to serve on the committee.

The committee will be charged with developing a detailed withdrawal plan for the State Department of Education to review and approve subject to voter approval. This plan will describe how, where and how much it will cost to educate Westport Island students. Voters will decide whether to join another specific school system or to remain with RSU 12.
The selectmen also made it clear in their letters to Bowen and Holm that constituents expressed no dissatisfaction with the quality of education offered by the district, with the services provided, or with the school board and administration.