BHS Withdrawal Process
How did we get here?
How did we get here?
Step 1: A petition requesting withdrawal from a regional school unit, signed by at least 10 percent of the voters in the municipality who voted in the last Governor election, is presented to the municipal officers.
Each town's petition was turned into the corresponding Town Office, and the Town Clerks certified that the petitions had achieved the required number of signatures.
Step 2: The municipal officers shall call and hold a special election (article) to determine whether to initiate the withdrawal process formally.
The Select Boards of all three towns called their special elections for November 25, 2025.
Step 3: At least 10 days before the special election, the municipal officers of the municipality within the regional school unit shall hold a public hearing on the petition (article), posted or otherwise advertised.
The Town of Buckfield held their public hearing on October 21, 2025.
Step 4: The petition to withdraw (article) must be approved by secret ballot by a majority vote of the voters present and voting before it may be presented to the regional school unit board of directors and to the Commissioner of Education.
Independently of one another the towns of Buckfield, Hartford, and Sumner held a special town meeting asking the voters the following question:
Note: This is the Town of Buckfield's referendum question. Hartford and Sumner's were substantively similar and the actual language can be requested from their town offices.
Article 6
Shall the Town favor filing a petition for withdrawal with the Board of Directors of Regional School Unit 10 and with the Commissioner of Education, authorizing the withdrawal committee to expend $50,000 and authorizing the Select Board to issue notes in the name of the Town of Buckfield or otherwise pledge the credit of the Town of Buckfield in an amount not to exceed $50,000 for this purpose?
The vote totals were as follows:
Buckfield: Voted 463–283 in favor of the withdrawal.
Sumner: Voted 249–129 in favor of the withdrawal.
Hartford: Voted 208–197 in favor of the withdrawal.
Each town authorized up to $50,000 to be expended through this process — a combined total of $150,000.
Step 5: If residents of the municipality vote favorably on the petition for withdrawal, the town clerk shall immediately give written notices, by registered mail, to the secretary of the regional school unit (in a regional school unit the Superintendent of Schools serves as the secretary per Title 20-A MRS §1055) and to the Commissioner of Education, which shall include:
A. The petition (article) adopted by the voters, including the affirmative and negative votes cast; and
B. An explanation by the municipal officers, stating to the best of their knowledge the reason or reasons why the municipality seeks to withdraw from the regional school unit.
Step 6: The Commissioner shall direct the municipal officers of the petitioning municipality to establish a Withdrawal Committee to develop a Withdrawal Agreement pursuant to Title 20-A, M.R.S. §1466(4) (A). The Four Member Withdrawal Committee shall include members appointed as follows:
A. One member from the municipal officers.
B. One member from the general public.
C. One member from the group filing the petition.
D. One member of the regional school unit board who represents that municipality.
Buckfield Withdrawal Committee Members:
Robert Hand, Selectman
Neal Austin, General Public
Michelle Casey, Circulator of the Petition
Erin Hinkley, RSU 10 School Board Director (Buckfield)
Hartford Withdrawal Committee Members:
Nick Tifft, Selectman
Rebecca Elsman
Isaac Haylock
Chad Culleton, RSU 10 School Board Director (Hartford)
Sumner Withdrawal Committee Members:
Jesse Wallingford, Selectman
Deb Frino
Liz Coombe
Kristen Chapman, RSU 10 School Board Director (Sumner)
Step 7: The chair of the regional school unit board shall call a meeting of the withdrawal committee within 30 days of the notice of the vote in Step 5. The chair of the regional school unit board will open and preside over the first meeting of the withdrawal committee until the committee elects a chair.
The Chair of the RSU 10 School Board, Chad Culleton (Hartford), led the initial meetings of each withdrawal committee in accordance with Step 7 of the withdrawal process.
Withdrawal Committee Chairs:
Michelle Casey, Buckfield
Nick Tifft, Hartford
Deb Frino, Sumner
During their combined joint meeting, the three withdrawal committees agreed to form together as one Tri-Town Committee.
Chad Culleton made a motion to have each town's withdrawal chair be a joint three-person leadership team. Erin Hinkley seconded the motion, which passed unanimously 12-0.
Step 8: The Withdrawal Committee shall negotiate a Withdrawal Agreement in compliance with Title 20-A, M.R.S. §1466(4. A), subsections 1-13, with the regional school unit board and shall submit the proposed agreement to the Commissioner within 90 days after the Committee is formed. The Commissioner may grant extensions of time upon the request of the withdrawal committee. Extensions may be requested by emailing charlotte.ellis@maine.gov
Under Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A, Section 1466, which governs the withdrawal of a single municipality from a Regional School Unit (RSU), the withdrawal committee is explicitly authorized to hire outside experts and advisors.
Specifically, Subsection 4(A) dictates the responsibilities and powers of the committee during the preparation of the withdrawal agreement, noting:
"The withdrawal committee may draw upon the resources of the department for information not readily available at the local level and employ competent advisors within the fiscal limit authorized by the voters."
Following a request for proposals, the committee retained Kristin Collins of Preti Flaherty as legal counsel. The committee later retained Dr. Cornelia Brown as an education consultant to assist with educational planning, administrative staffing options, and development of the anticipated first-year budget.
Title 20-A, Section 1466, subsection 13, paragraph A, subparagraph (13) : The agreement must include an anticipated budget for the petitioning municipality for the first year of operation of schools operated by the petitioning municipality. The budget must include an estimate of all revenues and expenditures in accordance with the cost center summary budget format pursuant to section 1485.
To assist the withdrawal committee and education consultant in developing an anticipated budget the committee requested RSU 10's existing budget documents and members met with RSU 10 staff to better understand what costs were linked to the Nezinscot region (Buckfield, Hartford, and Sumner). In addition, an updated ED 279 was requested and created by the State of Maine.
According to the committee’s budget methodology, certain RSU-wide costs could not be directly assigned to individual schools or regions. For those lines, the committee used 31%, identified by RSU 10 as the BHS share of those costs. Examples included bus drivers, van drivers, and other system-wide expenses.
The initial estimated budget as included in the withdrawal agreement was $12,390,391.36 (Exhibit 5 of the withdrawal agreement).
This was the initial estimated budget included with the withdrawal agreement. The proposed budget was subsequently revised during the planning process; the later proposed total is approximately $11.87 million and included in the Reorganization Plan.
NOTE: The budget included in the withdrawal and reorganization documents is an estimate developed for planning purposes. If withdrawal and reorganization are approved, voters would elect members of the new school board. Under the proposed reorganization plan, the board would consist of nine members: four from Buckfield, three from Hartford, and two from Sumner. That board would be responsible for developing the district’s first operational budget for consideration through the applicable school budget process.
Following extensions, the committee, working with their legal counsel and education consultant, negotiated and executed preliminary withdrawal agreements with RSU 10.
On July 29, 2026, Commissioner of Education Pender Makin granted conditional approval of the negotiated withdrawal agreement. The conditional approval called for language changes in Special Education/504 Students, and an edit to an extraneous 23 at the end of the paragraph under Additional Considerations.
The Commissioner set the date of a public hearing for Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at 6:00 PM at the Buckfield Junior Senior High School to discuss the merits of the proposed withdrawal agreement.
Step 9: Within 60 days of the receipt of the Withdrawal Agreement, the Commissioner shall either give it conditional approval or recommend changes, based upon whether the contents of the agreement will provide for appropriate educational and related services to the students of the petitioning municipality and for the orderly transition of assets, governance and other matters related to the petitioning municipality and the regional school unit.
Step 10(a): If conditional approval is given, the Commissioner shall notify the regional school unit board and the municipal officers by registered mail of the time and place of a public hearing at least 20 days before the date set for the hearing to discuss the merits of the proposed Withdrawal Agreement. The chair of the regional school unit board shall conduct the hearing.
The Select Boards of Buckfield, Hartford, and Sumner established a Reorganization Planning Committee to develop a proposed reorganization plan for the three municipalities.
Each town appointed three to four representatives to the committee. Most members had also served on the Withdrawal Committee. Liz Coombe did not continue onto the Reorganization Planning Committee, and Norma Dulac was appointed to represent Sumner in her place.
The committee’s role was to develop a proposed reorganization plan describing how Buckfield, Hartford, and Sumner would organize and govern a new School Administrative Unit if the withdrawal and reorganization were approved by voters.
The plan addressed the proposed governance and organizational structure of the new district, including the framework necessary to establish and operate the new school administrative unit.
Step 11: At least 10 days before the public hearing, the regional school unit board shall post a public notice in each municipality of the time and location of the hearing.
Leah Kaulback, RSU 10 Business Manager, posted notices in each municipality notifying voters of the time and place of the Public Hearing.
For a full video of the Public Hearing visit the "Resources" section of this page.
Step 12: Within 30 days following the public hearing, the Withdrawal Committee shall develop and forward the final Withdrawal Agreement to the Commissioner.
Step 13: On receipt of a final Withdrawal Agreement, the Commissioner may recommend changes. If the Commissioner recommends changes, the Commissioner shall return the final Withdrawal Agreement to the Withdrawal Committee, establish a maximum timeframe, and set out the steps to be followed by the Withdrawal Committee.
Step 14: On receipt of a final Withdrawal Agreement for which the Commissioner recommends no changes, the Commissioner approves the final Withdrawal Agreement and determines the date upon which the municipality proposing to withdraw will vote on the Withdrawal Agreement. The vote shall be held as soon as practicable, and the Commissioner shall attempt to set the date of the vote to coincide with a statewide election.
Step 15: At least 35 days before the date of the vote, as determined in Step 14, the Commissioner shall give written notice of the date by registered or certified mail to the town clerk or city clerk of the municipality petitioning to withdraw.
Commissioner Makin approved the final withdrawal agreements for all three towns with no recommended changes. She notified the municipalities that the election must be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
For the November 3, 2026 referendum, the Maine Department of Education has advised that the withdrawal agreement must receive a majority of the valid votes cast in each municipality. In addition, the total number of votes cast for and against withdrawal in each municipality must equal or exceed 50% of the number of votes cast in that municipality for Governor at the last gubernatorial election (2022).
This voting standard was confirmed by the Maine Department of Education in its correspondence regarding the Buckfield, Hartford, and Sumner withdrawal process.
Step 16: The town clerk or city clerk shall immediately notify the municipal officers upon receipt of the notice under Step 15, and the municipal officers shall meet and immediately issue a warrant for a special town meeting or city election to be held on the date designated by the Commissioner. No other date may be used.
The Select Board of each town ordered the ballot questions for the November 3, 2026 election.
Hartford and Sumner: Friday, September 4, 2026
Buckfield: Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Note: The order for ballot questions from each town was made in anticipation of but prior to receiving final approval from the Commissioner of Education.
Step 17: At least 10 days before the special town meeting or city election, the municipal officers shall hold a public hearing, posted or otherwise advertised, on the withdrawal question.
Public Hearings were held in all three towns on the following dates:
Buckfield: September 15, 2026
Hartford: September 22, 2026
Sumner: September 8, 2026
Step 18: The voting at the meeting held in a town on the Withdrawal Agreement must be conducted in accordance with Title 30-A MRS §2528 and §2529; the voting at the meeting held in a city must be conducted in accordance with Title 21-A.
On November 3, 2026, voters in Buckfield, Hartford, and Sumner will independently consider two local questions:
Article: “Do you favor the withdrawal of the (name of municipality) from the regional school unit (name of regional school unit), subject to the terms and conditions of the withdrawal agreement dated September 8, 2026?
Yes or No
AND
Article: In the event (article/question #) is approved, do you favor approving the school administrative reorganization plan prepared by the Reorganization Planning Committee to reorganize the towns of Buckfield, Hartford, and Sumner into a regional school unit with an effective date of July 1, 2027?
Yes or No
The first question asks voters whether to approve or reject the withdrawal agreement. The second question asks whether to approve or reject the proposed reorganization plan creating a new regional school unit consisting of Buckfield, Hartford, and Sumner.
Under the proposed agreements and reorganization plan, withdrawal and reorganization are contingent upon approval in all three municipalities. If the required approvals are not obtained in Buckfield, Hartford, and Sumner, the proposed reorganization would not take effect and the three municipalities would remain members of RSU 10.
Through September 24, 2026, the BHS Withdrawal/Reorganization Planning Committee has held 55 public meetings since December 3, 2025. They have also participated in 4 Public Hearings related to the withdrawal process.