School districts evaluate consolidation and closure plans

School districts in Bedford County and Maine are evaluating consolidation and closure plans to address changing demographics and enrollment trends.

The Bedford County School Board is scheduled to hold a public hearing to gather community feedback regarding potential school closures. While the division has already planned to close Stewartsville Elementary School by 2028, a recent study suggests further measures may be necessary due to a 22% decline in student enrollment over the last two decades. The board is considering four different consolidation scenarios, which include various combinations of closing Stewartsville alongside other elementary schools and redistricting attendance boundaries.

In Maine, Maine School Administrative District 58 (MSAD 58) recently held a community forum to discuss three potential reconfiguration options. These options, presented by the architecture firm Oak Point Associates, range from consolidating pre-K through third grade at Kingfield Elementary to creating a single, combined pre-K through eighth-grade campus. The district, which serves Avon, Kingfield, Phillips, and Strong, faces additional complexity as voters in Kingfield and Strong prepare to decide in November whether to withdraw from the district to gain local control.