KINGFIELD — Kingfield’s effort to withdraw from Maine School Administrative District 58 moved forward last week when the district’s board of directors unanimously approved a withdrawal agreement.
The June 25 agreement would transfer ownership of Kingfield Elementary School to the town, along with three district buses and $300,000 in undesignated funds.
Kingfield students would continue attending Mount Abram High School, as they do now.
Despite a March 10 vote by the Regional School Unit 9 board of directors to allow Strong and Kingfield students to attend Mt. Blue High School if either town withdraws from MSAD 58, the agreement limits district transportation to Mount Abram.
Kingfield students could attend Mt. Blue through a superintendents’ agreement, but parents would have to provide transportation.
Under the plan, Kingfield would pay 105 percent of the state tuition rate to Mount Abram.
“We agreed that it was important to us and our plan that Mount Abram continues to thrive,” Kathy Houston, chair of the Kingfield Withdrawal Committee, said.
Houston said parent feedback throughout the process led the committee to make Mount Abram the only school of acceptance for Kingfield students.
The plan must go to the Maine Department of Education for review. Houston said the committee expects it may need to make revisions based on that feedback.
After that, the committee hopes to hold multiple meetings before a November vote. A two-thirds majority of Kingfield voters is required to pass the plan and leave the district.
Houston pointed to the initial vote that started the process, which drew 145 “yes” votes and 35 “no” votes.
“The community really wanted to do this,” Houston said.
Houston said the withdrawal committee’s mission was to find a sustainable and cost-effective way to continue providing a positive education for Kingfield students.
She added that providing voters with factual, accurate information would help the community make an informed decision when it is time to vote in November.
At an informational meeting March 24, attendees cited some of the reasons they supported withdrawal, including retaining local control over the school. MSAD 58 has been considering consolidating campuses for years, due to declining enrollment and high facility costs.
The Kingfield Withdrawal Committee has developed a budget for a stand-alone district that would in many ways resemble Stratton School in Eustis — a town that left MSAD 58 in 2013.
The committee worked out a draft 2026-27 budget three different ways, Houston said, and while it has been repeatedly tweaked since its presentation March 24, it continues to indicate a decrease compared to what Kingfield will pay under MSAD 58’s proposed budget.
Kingfield has about one-fifth of the district’s students but provides nearly 40 percent of the local contribution, due to its higher valuation compared to the other towns.
Strong is now negotiating with MSAD 58 to finalize its own agreement. Phillips has also started a withdrawal process, but is further behind than the other two towns. Avon, the fourth town in the district, opted against forming a committee.
