BY VALERIE TUCKER

Correspondent

School Administrative District 58 Superintendent Quenten Clark has been an outspoken critic of the state's mandate to consolidate schools in western Maine.

He is willing to accept whatever taxpayers decide when they vote on Nov. 4, but he's been to a dozen meetings in the district to explain to parents and community members how the process will impact their lives.

"If you vote to consolidate, SAD 58 school taxes will decrease, but SAD 9 taxes will increase by nearly $1 million," he said. "We can't expect taxpayers will want to pay more to maintain small schools in distant towns."

SAD 9 and SAD 58 school boards voted nearly unanimously to reject consolidation.

Voters have come to hearings in Strong, Avon, Phillips, Kingfield, and Stratton, where elementary schools are considered the heart of each community, he said.

"We've had good turnout, but the question that keeps coming over and over is 'Why are we having to do this?'" Clark said. "We aren't saving money, and we aren't improving education for our children."

School board Chairman Gerald Pond echoed that concern.

"People are worried they might lose their local schools, and our schools are one of the best things we have in these small communities," he said after the Thursday hearing at the Strong Elementary School.

"Considering that the annual $125,000 penalty for not consolidating is just over one percent of our annual budget, this is a small price to pay for maintaining the quality and excellence of our schools," Clark said.

If SAD 9 voters reject consolidation, they will ask Education Commissioner Susan Gendron for approval as a stand-alone system. If SAD 58 voters reject the plan, Clark says he will begin talking with other school districts about a partnership plan.