AUGUSTA -- Fayette, Madison, Winthrop and the dozens of other Maine towns facing penalties for their votes against school district consolidation plans are one step closer to a one-year reprieve from those fines.

The Maine House overwhelmingly backed a measure Wednesday that would delay for a year the penalties levied on school systems that turned down district merger plans.

The cuts to those districts' state subsidies, under legislation sponsored by Rep. James Schatz, would instead take effect in the 2010-11 academic year.

The House vote was a veto-proof 111-32 in favor of the penalty delay. The measure next goes to the Senate.

Maine towns have worked hard to comply with the consolidation mandate, Schatz said, but some of them -- especially small, rural towns -- need more time to come up with workable plans.

The consolidation mandate, which legislators passed in June 2007, was an effort to combine Maine's 290 school districts into 80 regional systems by July 1, 2009. But since voters in more than 100 school districts have rejected local mergers, Maine will end up with 218 districts on July 1.

"This is a very daunting task," said Schatz, a Blue Hill Democrat. "Some (regional school units) had nothing to do but change the lettering on their school buses. But small schools did not."

State Department of Education officials have suggested money withheld from penalized districts could be given to newly consolidated districts to help them with one-time merger costs. They've put those plans on hold, however, until after a likely November vote on repealing the consolidation law.

Lawmakers said it's wrong to hold that money -- approximately $3.8 million -- in state coffers while schools could be using it.

"It does nothing for our schools; it does nothing for our children," said Rep. Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham. "All it does is put pressure on our mill rates."

Those opposed to the penalty delay said voters could have chosen to back local merger plans, thereby avoiding penalties.

"The thing I heard (consolidation opponents) yelling was, 'local control, local control, local control,'" said Rep. Charles Harlow, D-Portland. "But they don't want to pay for local control."

But voters did not cast their "no" votes lightly, said Rep. Andrew O'Brien, D-Lincolnville. "In our districts, it would cost us more to reorganize than to remain separate."

If the penalty delay ultimately passes, Department of Education spokesman David Connerty-Marin said, "it certainly doesn't remove (districts) from the requirement to move forward."

House members later Wednesday narrowly shot down a bill that would repeal the consolidation mandate altogether.

In a 72-70 vote, lawmakers rejected the citizen initiative for which consolidation opponents collected more than 55,000 voter signatures last year to place the measure on November's ballot. By voting against the measure, the legislators effectively opted to send the decision to voters.

The Senate will also take up that measure.

Matthew Stone -- 623-3811, ext. 435

mstone@centralmaine.com