MADISON -- A bid to combine two school districts into the state's first regional school unit failed when residents of one of the districts voted it down.

The proposed regional school unit would have served the district 59 communities of Madison, Starks, Athens and Brighton Plantation and the district 53 communities of Pittsfield, Burnham and Detroit.

District 53 residents overwhelmingly approved the proposal with 219 "yes" votes and 110 "no" votes, while residents in district 59 shot it down with 381 "no" votes and 349 "yes" votes. Of all the votes cast in both communities, "yes" votes outnumbered "no" votes, and even within district 59, all of the member towns except Madison passed it.

But Madison's 334-269 defeat of the proposal was enough to nix it entirely.

"Since one has approved it and one hasn't, there is some confusion about what to do," District 53 Superintendent Michael Gallagher said. "Ultimately, the boards will have to make a decision about how they want to make this work, or if they want to look at other possibilities."

Gallagher, who is acting as superintendent of both districts, said several residents in district 59 asked in public hearings why the district didn't look to partner with neighboring district 74, which serves the communities of Anson, New Portland, North Anson and Solon.

The state Department of Education has mandated consolidation, and state law requires a minimum of 1,200 students in regional school units (RSUs) to be formed.

School districts that fail to adopt a state-approved consolidation plan with a neighboring district by Jan. 30, 2009, will risk losing a sizable amount of state funding in fiscal year 2009, according to Maine Department of Education Spokesman David Connerty-Marin.

"Obviously, we're trying to work with units to do everything possible to make sure they meet the requirements of the law," Connerty-Marin said.

Since district 53 approved the consolidation plan, it won't face any penalties.

But district 59 will lose about $185,000 in state funding during fiscal year 2010 unless it approves some sort of consolidation plan by the deadline, Gallagher said.

"Then the second year we are estimating would be about $190,000," he said.

Gallagher said district 53 school board directors will discuss the matter at 7 p.m. Thursday at Warsaw Middle School, and district 59 directors will do the same at 7 p.m. Monday in the district's central office.

"I think originally, what we were thinking was that if it didn't work in both districts, we would go back and figure out what needed to be changed in order for it to be approached," Gallagher said.

Joel Elliott -- 861-9252

jelliott@centralmaine.com