By Suzanne Hodgson
Staff Writer

Regional School Unit 21 Superintendent Andrew Dolloff has estimated the district could save $1.15 million over the next six years if it sticks with its decision to terminate the Thornton Academy Middle School contract.
During the school board meeting Aug. 9, members discussed the arbitrator’s Aug. 3 decision to allow 19 Arundel students who expressed interest to attend school in the district.
So far, 12 of the 19 students have confirmed they will start the 2010-2011 school year at Middle School of the Kennebunks.
The arbitrator ruled RSU 21 will still have to pay the $7,440 tuition to TAMS for each student, but this does not affect the school’s budget for the upcoming year because the budget already reflected that tuition.
Dolloff said the middle school has a capacity of 680 students. He said enrollment for the year is approximately 540 so there is room for more students in the school. He explained adding more students would not necessarily mean hiring more teachers. Many of the classrooms are at a threshold where adding two or three students would not greatly affect the class, but the class sizes are too big to combine.
Kennebunk High School also has room to absorb 90 more students before it reaches capacity.
An impact analysis given to board members and which will appear on the district’s website shows the district would save $1.15 million over the next six years if the contract is severed at the end of this school year.
The 10-year contract between Thornton Academy and Arundel, in effect since 2006, has six years left. A buyout clause in the contract would mean RSU 21 would pay $1.19 million at the end of this school year.
Arundel students will still have the choice to attend TAMS.
If 20 percent of the students, or 62 students, attend in-district schools for the next six years, the district would save tuition of approximately $2.34 million, if tuition is not increased during that time.
The net savings for RSU 21 after the cost of the buyout and savings from tuition would be $1.15 million over the next six years.
    
In other school board news, Middle School of the Kennebunks has had a busy summer with air quality tests and some minor construction to try to eliminate health concerns in the building.   
Staff members who work at the middle school have complained about health problems that may be related to mold in the school building.
Dolloff invited the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to the school in January to look into the health concerns. After testing air quality and doing a health survey in March, the group will be back at the middle school on Aug. 23 for more medical testing of staff.
Dolloff said NIOSH wanted to compare the medical tests after the staff had 10 weeks out of the building. NIOSH also will visit Kennebunk Elementary School to do more medical tests on the staff there to use as a control base.
In the meantime, Turner Group, an architect and engineering firm, ripped out some carpet in the middle school and replaced it with hard surfaces so water could not be absorbed into the carpet. The group also has been doing more air testing, which shows air quality is good in the building.

Staff Writer Suzanne Hodgson can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 233.