BY ERIN RHODA

Staff Writer

In a milestone for Bingham- and North Anson-based school districts, the committee charged with designing a consolidation plan approved the plan unanimously Wednesday night.

If the School Administrative District 13 and 74 boards assent to it next week, sending the plan off for Maine Department of Education approval, and residents vote yes Jan. 19, 2010, the new regional school unit would be the smallest in the state, composed of Bingham, Moscow, Anson, North Anson, Solon, Embden, New Portland, Concord Township and Pleasant Ridge Plantation.

Under the proposed consolidation plan, the percentage of funds that towns contribute to school budgets would change little.

"We see additional local funds staying about the same or going down," said Tammy Conners, business secretary for North Anson-based SAD 74.

Each district will hold public hearings to listen to residents' questions about the proposed consolidation. With locations and times still to be arranged, SAD 13 will hold its hearing Jan. 5, 2010, and SAD 74 on Jan. 13, 2010. The referendum vote -- in which residents check "yes" or "no" for consolidation -- is scheduled for Jan. 19, 2010.

Residents must approve the consolidation plan before Jan. 31, 2010, said Jim Rier, director of finance and operations at the education department. The deadline is Jan. 31, 2010, because after that, residents would need time to approve a new school board, which would hire a superintendent and plan next year's budget before the new school year starts.

Superintendent Kenneth Smith said he is willing to meet with any groups or individuals if they want clarification about the consolidation plan. The plan is also available on the districts' Web sites.

The regional planning committee is composed of representatives from each district who have worked for about two years on a consolidation plan.

"They've worked hard," Smith said. "It's not like it's just happened. It's taken a lot to get to this point. People have had to learn a lot."

He said the committee has devised an "equitable cost-sharing plan." It helps that the towns are economically similar, he said.

"We don't have a situation like Jay and Livermore Falls, where the mill's in Jay," he said.

If the districts do not consolidate, SAD 13 towns would incur annual penalties of $42,309 from the state; SAD 74 towns would incur annual penalties of $150,253.

School officials estimate that if the districts' two central offices combine into one, the newly formed regional school unit would save $250,000, over the first three years of consolidation.

Voters in Madison-based School Administrative District 59 and in SAD 13 rejected a merger proposal with SAD 74 in January. Afterward, officials from the North Anson- and Bingham-based districts decided to pursue consolidation without SAD 59.

Erin Rhoda -- 474-9534

erhoda@mainetoday.com