Hollis voters to consider study on leaving school district ShareThis By APRIL GUILMET Union Leader Correspondent HOLLIS — A warrant article asking voters to approve a study that would be the first step in considering Hollis’ separation from the Hollis/Brookline Cooperative School District will appear on the March town meeting ballot. Following a lengthy discussion at the Nov. 3 Hollis Board of Selectmen meeting, the board voted 4-1 to place the item on the spring ballot. Selectman Peter Band voted in opposition. In August, budget committee chairman Thomas Gehan released a statement voicing his opposition to “any proposed changes to the apportionment arrangement that would further shift operating costs to Hollis taxpayer.” The two towns share middle and high school and as it stands now, Gehan said the Town of Hollis pays “a significantly higher share of co-op costs.” Gehan said Hollis would pay 41 percent more of the co-op costs during fiscal year 2015, even though the town has just 20 percent more students. Michael Harris, chair of the Hollis Brookline Cooperative Apportionment Committee, said the co-op was formed in 1991 and initially the two towns split costs in the middle. Under the current arrangement, the co-op is expected to cost Hollis $7.9 million and Brookline $6 million next year. He said Brookline students account for 45.5 percent of the co-op’s enrollment. Le Doux said the March 2015 warrant article would hopefully get more folks from both communities talking — and attending more meetings. “I think this topic is worthy of a study,” he said. “The apportionment committee has done an excellent job researching this very pressing issue. Now we have a responsibility to our residents to not only focus on taxes, but on quality of life.” Under state laws governing cooperative school districts, a certain process must be followed to decide whether withdrawal is a viable option, Le Doux added, noting the study would be an early step in that process. If voters approve the study this spring, many more meetings would follow to share updates on the findings. “It would start the evaluation process, but there would have to be a subsequent vote,” Le Doux said. “And until we have hard numbers, we won’t really know.” aguilmet@newstote
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 03:47:35 +0000
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