High School students of this resort town have for years enjoyed the opportunity to attend a state approved high school of their choosing if they met the receiving school’s admission requirements. The town of Carrabassett Valley would pay the state tuition rate, with the student’s family paying the additional tuition if applicable.

The Carrabassett School Committee is seeking to sign a five-year high school contract with MSAD #58 which would still allow for students to pick a school of their choosing, but only after attending district schools for one complete school year. For example, if a Carrabassett Valley student intended to attend Carrabassett Valley Academy for their freshman year, they would need to attend a district elementary school for the entire 8th grade school year. The proposed contract grandfathers current Carrabassett Valley students from having to fulfill the one-year district attendance requirement.

Modern families live much more transient lives, many living in multiple locations even within one year. The proposed contract will set a clear requirement that must be fulfilled before Carrabassett students will be allowed to pick a high school of their own choosing that will be paid for by the town. The one-year requirement is similar in tone to the current residency requirements of the University of Maine system. With the contract in place, new students to our town will be able to immediately attend the MSAD #58 system with the town picking up the tuition, but proof of long-term residency will be required before students can go elsewhere on the town’s tab.

The upside of the contract for the district schools is that Carrabassett’s commitment to the district would be furthered beyond the elementary school contract that has been in place between the district and Carrabassett Valley for over a decade.

Our town has made significant contributions to the district elementary schools over the years, both with financial and volunteer resources. If this contract can bring a few more students to the district high school, that’s a good thing for the region.

The Carrabassett Valley School Committee will hold a public hearing on the proposed contract May 19 at 6 p.m. at the Carrabassett Town Office. A town meeting on May 26 at 6 p.m. will ask the voters to authorize the School Committee to sign a five-year high school contract with the district. The contract has been reviewed by the district school board and will be voted upon at the districtwide meeting this spring.
Earle Morse is the Chairman of the
Carrabassett School Committee.