RANGELEY -– Voters last Tuesday approved a historic passage that now will create a new way that the Rangeley Lakes Regional School K-12 will be run.

In an overwhelming vote, residents approved an initiative to merge multiple school boards into one. Residents of Rangeley Plantation with 10 students and Lincoln Plantation voted against the process.

“I’m pleased that it turns out that we’re going to go ahead with the reorganization,” said Rangeley Board chairman Ginny Nuttall.

More than a year ago, voters shot down a proposal to merge with MSAD #44. Since then the legislature passed LD 467, which granted towns such as Rangeley and its participating school departments, and other communities such as Jackman and Greenville, to be exempt from the consolidation law. The legislation says that these communities are “isolated” districts and are not mandated to consolidate. This allows them to fall into similar exemption status as some of the islands districts in the state do.

A regional Planning Committee made up of six communities including Rangeley with 65 percent of the students and area plantations. Together they rolled up their sleeves to develop a plan that would reduce the number of school boards, the number of superintendents and provide a plan to reorganize which will save some money.

The two communities voting against the process will not send members to the board.

“It not exactly clear what will happen with these communities, but we will cross that bridge when we get to that,” Nuttall said. More than likely, these communities will tuition their students if an agreement is met.

Prior to the consolidation law, the Rangeley board members were already talking about improving their structure. The intent was to provide more voice for the plantations by consolidating the current structure of many school boards into one reorganized and unified board.

Currently, the structure includes a Rangeley School Board, as well as school boards for Dallas, Lincoln, Magalloway, Sandy River and Rangeley plantations.

Voters have agreed that efficiencies can be gained and some costs can be saved by creating only one board.

The present board will now work with the newly elected board to transition them into the process of running a unified single board. “I think it is important to transition,” Nuttall said.

Each board member from the communities will have a weighted vote. A new funding formula would create an equitable share of costs for towns and plantations for educating students. And savings will occur as a result of not duplicating services.

School officials have stated that there should be no direct changes for the students or staff. If a plantation now has school choice, that will remain intact.

Responsibility for all RLRS buildings and grounds will be assumed by the new reorganized district as well as any debt service.

“We now have representation from all the parents of the community which is 35 percent more than what we had in the past,” Nuttall said.

The new funding formula will be based on a combination of the State Essential Programs and Services formula and with consideration of student enrollment.

School Union # 37 will is scheduled to dissolve on July 1, 2010 with the new board ready and prepared to run the new district on that date.