Great Salt Bay School Committee Chair August Avantaggio (center) leads a discussion during the committees Wednesday, Nov. 13 meeting as member Betsy Ball (left) and GSB Superintendent Lynsey Johnston look on. Johnston announced that the plan to formally withdraw from AOS 93 and form an RSU was approved by Maine Department of Education Commissioner Pender Mankin, which will take effect July 1, 2025. (Johnathan Riley photo)
Great Salt Bay Community School’s plan to withdraw from AOS 93 and form Regional School Unit 48 has received approval from the Maine Department of Education and will take effect July 1, 2025.
GSB Superintendent Lynsey Johnston announced Maine Department of Education Commissioner Pender Mankin’s approval of the plan during the Great Salt Bay School Committee’s Wednesday, Nov. 13 meeting.
“We have officially crossed all hurdles,” Johnston said.
The news of the approval comes close to a year and a half after administrators within AOS 93 first proposed exploring a structural change to the district to reduce inefficiencies and inconsistencies.
AOS 93 serves seven towns – Bremen, Bristol, Damariscotta, Jefferson, Newcastle, and Nobleboro – and contains five schools – Bristol Consolidated School, Great Salt Bay Community School, Jefferson Village School, Nobleboro Central School, and South Bristol School.
After all school committees approved exploring restructuring in May 2023, different options – including different configurations of regionalization and transforming AOS 93 into an educational service center – were discussed and subsequently ruled out.
Bremen, Damariscotta, and Newcastle – the three towns that make up the Great Salt Bay Consolidated School District – voted in June to create a regional school unit. All three towns approved the measure, leading to the creation of the withdrawal plan.
Great Salt Bay School Committee members have said change will allow new administrators, such as the part-time superintendent position held by Johnston, to focus efforts on GSB rather than having central office administrators who are splitting time between the seven towns of AOS 93.
Members of the school committee expect the change to be budget neutral, if not possibly a money-saving measure for the three member towns.
Once the withdrawal takes effect, AOS 93 will consist of Bristol, Jefferson, Nobleboro, and South Bristol. Each of the remaining towns will continue to operate as separate district contracting services to the central office. Options to consolidate school operations were voted down by towns last year.
Johnston said the withdrawal plan and RSU formation was quickly approved by Mankin because the application linked a YouTube video of the Oct. 17 board meeting that showed agreement between the AOS 93 representatives of the remaining towns.
“(The video) showed all seven members from the AOS had worked through the withdrawal agreement and come to a mutual agreement that it was acceptable,” Johnston said.
With the RSU formation taking effect July 1, 2025, GSB administrators are beginning to work on the transition.
“We still have some things to do,” Johnston said, “but this is going to be an exciting time for all of us.”
The next meeting of the Great Salt Bay School Committee is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 11 at the school.