BUCKFIELD — Residents of Buckfield, Hartford and Sumner moved a step closer this week to deciding whether to withdraw from Regional School Unit 10.
Last year, voters in the three towns agreed to begin the withdrawal process, which requires each community to hold a public hearing before the proposal goes to a Nov. 3 referendum.
On Tuesday, it was Buckfield’s turn.
The 56‑seat room was standing room only, and more than 25 people spoke during the 2½‑hour meeting.
Most supported withdrawal, citing a desire for more local control.
A significant number opposed it, raising concerns about losing programming and services.
Some said they were still undecided.
A Buckfield resident who has lived in town for 30 years said it was her first time attending a hearing.
She said she typically votes against anything that could raise taxes but has watched the community lose programs she considers important.
After hearing the discussion, she said she now supports withdrawal and favors forming a new district with Sumner and Hartford.
If voters in all three towns approve the referendum in November, the transition to a new district would begin immediately with the election of a school board representing the three communities.
The new district would begin operating in July 2027.
The referendum will mark the end of a state‑mandated, 22-step process to explore withdrawal.
Step 1 began with a petition submitted Aug. 28, 2025, requesting withdrawal from RSU 10.
Voters in the three towns approved it 920-609 in November 2025 and formed a withdrawal committee.
After nearly a year of budget workshops, negotiations with the Maine Department of Education and frequent long meetings, the public hearings represent Step 17.
The hearing Tuesday in Buckfield began with a presentation outlining the withdrawal process and the proposed new district. Then the microphone began circulating.
The atmosphere was deliberately conversational, as the committee had discussed during its summer meeting. There were no time limits for attendees’ remarks, and committee members sat level with the audience.
Speaking early in the meeting, Sandra Fickett, vice chairman of the Buckfield Select Board, said RSU 10 did not represent her thoughts and opinions well.
She said that before Buckfield joined RSU 10, “there were issues, but I felt I was heard, I could get answers, I knew where my tax dollars were going.”
Now, she added, “I don’t know anybody who felt that they were heard.”
Fickett said she appreciated the atmosphere at the public hearing. If the towns withdrew, she added, “I would hope that the new school board would hold meetings exactly like this.”
At times, the conversation grew tense.
When one resident worried that the new school board would feel pressure to make cuts after the first year, a committee member responded that the concern suggested they did not want to bring accountability home.
Most of those who spoke were Buckfield residents, RSU 10 employees or both.
Some parents and RSU 10 staff members expressed opposition to withdrawal, describing effective programs or talented staff they feared the new district would lose.
Several who spoke in favor of withdrawal noted that their position was not a criticism of teachers.
Retired teacher Linda Andrews urged withdrawal, saying, “Local teachers understand what local kids need and can build a curriculum that meets our local needs.”
RSU 10 Superintendent Matt Gilbert said more could be done to help people feel connected in a large district.
“I think part of our problem is that as a district we haven’t taken time to build relationships with each other,” he said.
Even with open conversation, the decision to withdraw will be a difficult one for many.
One participant asked why there could not be more time to consider withdrawal.
Another asked whether the committee would make a recommendation.
In 2007, the Legislature adopted Gov. John Baldacci’s plan to reduce the number of school districts from 290 to 80. A few districts were exempt from the consolidation order because of their high academic standing.
The following year, Maine School District 21, which included Canton, Carthage, Dixfield and Peru, and the Maine School Administrative District 39 towns of Buckfield, Hartford and Sumner were merged with the Rumford‑area school district, Maine School Administrative District 43, bringing together 12 towns to form RSU 10, known locally as the Western Foothills School District.
In 2017, Canton, Carthage, Dixfield and Peru withdrew from RSU 10 and formed Regional School Unit 56.
If Buckfield, Hartford and Sumner vote to withdraw from the district, it would leave Hanover, Mexico, Roxbury and Rumford in RSU 10.
The withdrawal agreement drafted early this summer outlines the potential new district’s governance structure, transportation plan, staffing needs and long-term financial obligations.
The agreement also contains details on the division of district assets and liabilities, and what a new Buckfield, Sumner and Hartford district is eligible to receive and obliged to pay if the towns vote to withdraw.
It also includes five‑year enrollment projections and outlines where students would attend school for at least the next decade, including tuition agreements with other districts and estimated per‑pupil costs.
The next step in the process is a public hearing in Hartford, scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22.
Marna Miller is a Community Reporting Fellow receiving training through the Journalism New England Career Lab to do civic reporting that provides people in towns across New England with the information they need to be engaged in their community.
