On November 3, voters across eight towns in the Mount Desert Island region will decide on a proposal to merge their independent school districts into a single regional school unit. The plan aims to allow towns to pool resources, adopt one unified budget, and reduce duplication of services.
Superintendent Mike Zboray, who oversees MDI-area schools, stated that this effort represents the first substantial move towards consolidation since the Baldacci administration's initiatives. Zboray noted that they have "really dug our teeth into it and came up with a plan." He added that if the proposal does not pass, they will review their approach and consider changes.
The proposed merger has met with opposition from residents expressing worries about potentially losing local control over school matters and how a combined budget might impact their individual towns. However, the plan specifies that no schools would close under the new structure. According to a presentation from Superintendent Zboray’s district, the new school board would be unable to close any school without first securing approval from the affected town.
For the merger to proceed, it requires majority approval from voters in Bar Harbor, Mount Desert, Southwest Harbor, Tremont, and Trenton. The outer island towns of Cranberry Isles, Frenchboro, and Swan’s Island will also participate in the vote, with each of these communities joining the new RSU only if their own respective voters grant approval.
This local decision on MDI is part of a broader statewide trend where school governance remains a prominent issue, two decades after Governor John Baldacci's 2007 consolidation law prompted districts to consider mergers. Across Maine, many ballot questions reflect common pressures such as an aging population, declining student enrollment, and inflation contributing to rising property taxes.
While some communities look to consolidation as a solution, others are pursuing withdrawal from existing regional units. For instance, Buckfield, Hartford, and Sumner are slated to vote on withdrawing from the Rumford-based RSU 10. These towns have expressed concerns about a loss of local control since the district's formation in 2009. Similarly, voters in Strong are debating a withdrawal from a Phillips-based district, with some locals hoping this move could safeguard their local school from potential closure.
Beyond school governance, other towns are confronting the direct question of closing schools outright. Small class sizes have strained school budgets across the state, leading some communities to consider relinquishing a local school in exchange for property tax relief. This November, Eddington and Waterford will both decide whether to make such a trade. Ballots in both towns will present the estimated annual cost of maintaining their schools: nearly $670,000 for Eddington’s elementary school and approximately $442,000 for Waterford’s.
Local ballots also feature proposals for significant municipal expenditures, such as the purchase of new fire apparatus. In Caribou, voters will determine whether to authorize the city to spend up to $2.9 million to replace its aging aerial ladder truck. A statement on the city’s ballot indicates that the current ladder truck, though having served the city for many years, has now reached "the end of its serviceable life." In China, voters are considering a smaller, but still substantial, expenditure of $750,000 for a new fire apparatus. Residents in China had previously approved a $200,000 allocation at their June town meeting. The escalating costs of new fire trucks, often exceeding $1 million, are attributed to tariffs, industry consolidation, and regulatory changes, putting pressure on taxpayers statewide.
Finally, two towns, Alfred and Limerick, will vote on proposals to begin recording local government meetings. While recordings are common in larger Maine towns, Alfred’s initiative was brought to a public vote through a citizens’ petition. The town’s budget committee has estimated that implementing recordings would cost nearly $6,000 annually. If approved, these recordings would cover future annual town meetings, select board meetings, planning board meetings, and zoning board meetings. Limerick's proposal would mandate the town to stream or broadcast most of its public meetings.
