WINSLOW -- State Education Commissioner Susan Gendron told school board members here that rejecting a plan to consolidate with three other districts puts Winslow "out of compliance with public law," and urged them to reconsider.

The Winslow school board last week unanimously voted against a plan to consolidate with Messalonskee School District and school systems in neighboring China and Vassalboro. If the board had approved the plan, it would have gone out for a community-wide vote.

Gendron in an Aug. 8 letter addressed to Ron Whary, chairman of Winslow School Committee, asked the committee to "reconsider its actions, and to inform the department of its plans, at which time I will consider appropriate action."

"The legislature was clear in its desire that the public have an opportunity to vote on the (regional planning committee's) plan," Gendron wrote. "The school board's role is to 'submit.'"

But Whary, school board chairman, said Gendron's letter took a "bullying" approach, and that the board's decision stands.

"I thought this was a democratic country," Whary said. "We're not changing it, either. It's a negative vote, and it's going to stay a negative vote."

Whary said the board is discussing an alternate consolidation plan that would involve a degree of regionalization, but allow the district to retain its properties and budget, as well as its own debt. Board members will discuss this proposal at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 18, at Winslow Junior High School.

Whary questioned the fairness of the commissioner's letter.

"You see all these other school boards turning these (consolidation plans) down, and I'm wondering, is she sending these to all the others?" he asked.

She is not. Department of Education spokesman David Connerty-Marin said this was the first such letter the department has issued since a 2007 state law began requiring school districts to submit consolidation plans. In the past, other school boards have voted down consolidation plans, but have expressed a willingness to find a different plan, Connerty-Marin said.

"It's not a question of bullying, but rather ... we're trying to preserve the intent of the law," he said.

State law requires school districts to form new regional school units by July 1, 2009. Consolidation is a major issue across the state, as educators and school board members seek to find the best plan to comply with state-imposed deadlines.

At one point, the idea in this region was for five school systems (Winslow, China, Vassalboro, Messalonskee and Waterville) to share resources and consolidate administrative functions.

Winslow is not the first school district to have backed out of this particular plan. Waterville in February withdrew from the plan, with school superintendent Eric Haley saying the merger would increase its education costs by about $1.3 million.

But the state turned down Waterville's request to reorganize as a single unit, and, at the state's urging, the school district attempted to return to the negotiating table with the Messalonskee, China, Winslow and Vassalboro.

The other school districts rejected Waterville's request because the school district stipulated that a consolidation plan would have to require less of a financial impact on Waterville.

The future of the five districts remains unclear. Days after Winslow rejected the plan, school boards at Messalonskee and China voted in favor of it, passing it on to voters in their respective communities. Vassalboro School Committee will consider the measure Aug. 19.

Joel Elliott -- 861-9252

jelliott@centralmaine.com