Voters in Maine Regional School Unit 4 have approved the closure of Sabattus Primary School in Sabattus.
The Sun Journal reports that the proposal to close the school passed 329-151. All three towns voted in favor of closure: Litchfield 138-45; Sabattus 112-71; and Wales 79-35.
Under state law, all three communities needed to vote against the closure for the school to remain open, and a single affirmative vote would lead to its closure.
With the closure, the district will house kindergarten and first-grade students at Libby-Tozier School in Litchfield, and prekindergarten, second, third and fourth-grade students will go to Carrie Ricker School in Litchfield.
The RSU 4 board says the change will streamline resources and improve educational programming. There will be no reduction in teaching staff, educational technicians or specialists, according to the board.
Keeping Sabattus Primary School open would have cost the district $358,076. A June 2022 report by Siemens estimated nearly $5 million in upgrades were needed to meet the state's public school standards and guidelines for school construction and major renovation projects.
According to school documents, the building was constructed in 1953.
