PITTSFIELD -- OK, now what?

That's the question school officials here are asking now that Maine voters have upheld the state's controversial school consolidation law.

Because the repeal effort failed on the ballot, local schools officials are in the same bind they were in a year ago: facing a $170,000 penalty because they don't have a state-mandated merger plan. The penalty -- a reduction in state subsidies -- would kick in Jan. 30.

"We're going to talk with the commissioner (Susan Gendron) about what our options could be," said Michael Gallagher, superintendent of schools for SAD 53. "I'm confident we'll come up something that will allow us to avoid penalties to move forward with compliance -- if not a merger plan, then something else. We have a relatively short time frame."

School Administrative District 53, which serves Pittsfield, Burnham and Detroit, was among the first communities to submit a completed school district merger plan to the state Department of Education. The district wanted to join with Madison-based SAD 59, but SAD 53 voters said yes and SAD 59 voters said no.

Earlier this year, legislators passed a law to giving "orphaned" districts such as SAD 53 a one-year extension on merger efforts, delaying the penalty.

The SAD 53 board of directors mulled new merger efforts during 2009, at one point identifying four school systems as possible partners. Recently, those inquiries focused again on SAD 59 of Madison, and on SAD 68, which serves Dover-Foxcroft, Charleston, Monson and Sebec.

Gallagher said talks with those districts have stalled and the SAD 53 board is next scheduled to meet Dec. 7.

In a letter sent this past August, SAD 59 Chairman Troy Emery told Gallagher that the board had recently voted to "refrain from any action regarding school consolidation."

"For several reasons, the board felt that further discussions with any other unit would not be a productive or constructive use of resources or time," Emery wrote. "For that reason, the board has asked me to inform you that MSAD 59 will not commit to any further discussions of reorganization with MSAD 53 at this time."

Lyford Beverage, interim superintendent of SAD 59, said Tuesday that the school board has not yet met to discuss what to do in response to the consolidation vote.

"All we know is the law didn't go away and we're millions of dollars behind projected revenues and everybody has to cut budgets," Beverage said.

In addition, Gallagher said, talks with SAD 68 aren't going anywhere because officials from both communities were unable to identify potential cost savings or added educational value. Also, distance was a factor: The schools are about 40 miles apart.

Now, with less than three months until the extension expires and with recent efforts not advancing, SAD 53 doesn't have any apparent options remaining, Gallagher said.

"We're completely surrounded by districts that have already consolidated," he said.

Rep. Stacey Fitts, R-Pittsfield, who introduced the original legislation to give SAD 53 an extension, said last week that he would support additional legislative action next year if need be, especially if the district continues to try to make a merger plan work.

"I think a good-faith effort going forward is the most critical part," Fitts said. "It behooves us to acknowledge the situation; there were imperfections in the way the law was put forward and everybody acknowledges that. We should be able to take care of those situations that arrive."

Although Department of Education officials have recently discussed proposed amendments to the consolidation law that would add some flexibility, there are no plans for another extension -- at least not from the state education department.

School units that remain "non-conforming" with the law "will need to prepare ... to comply with the law," said Jim Rier, director of finance and operations for the education department.

"At this stage, I don't believe the commissioner will be providing any additional legislative proposals," Rier said.

Scott Monroe -- 861-9253

smonroe@centralmaine.com