DIXFIELD — The Dixfield Withdrawal Committee on Wednesday took a first look at a draft agreement between RSU 10 and the town. It was written by the school district’s lawyer.

Chairman Bob Withrow said the committee’s lawyer, Dan Stockford of the law firm of Brann and Isaacson, will review the document and make recommendations.

“These are talking points,” Withrow said.

Stockford was unanimously hired to represent the committee earlier in the meeting at a rate of $220 an hour, $160-180 per hour for an associate attorney in the firm, and $95 an hour for paralegal work. The town’s deputy treasurer, Samantha Hill, was also hired as the official recording secretary for the committee meetings.

RSU 10 Superintendent Tom Ward said Dick Spencer of the district’s law firm, Drummond and Woodsum, and Stockford met shortly after the committee’s meeting two weeks ago.

“The goal was to make sure it covered all towns and all schools in the RSU,” Ward said.

He said the draft proposal would likely be tied to a 10-year school facilities plan the RSU 10 board is currently drawing up. That document will likely be acted upon sometime during the spring.

The proposed draft agreement includes maintaining Dirigo High School for 10 years, unless:

* A minimum enrollment of 200 in grades nine to 12 is not maintained. If it drops, the RSU 10 board will make reasonable efforts to consolidate the middle school and high school to keep the high school open, or Mountain Valley High School open if a similar situation occurs. Buckfield Junior-Senior High School was excluded in this part of the agreement because it already houses grades six to 12.

* The State Board of Education approves a replacement school if the state pays for it and it’s approved by RSU 10 voters. Ward said any possibility of construction of a regional high school is at least a dozen years away.

* Dirigo or Mountain Valley high schools are substantially destroyed, or otherwise determined to be unusable for health or safety reasons and a replacement school is not economically practical.

* There is a major change in General Purpose Aid to Education; and

*  The final agreement must be approved at by Dixfield voters, and the town’s prior vote to petition, establish and fund a withdrawal committee is rescinded. It would also be contingent on the discontinuance of the withdrawal committee and any successor committee; and

* Unless an RSU 10 town withdraws.

The proposed agreement further states that if Dirigo, Mountain Valley or Buckfield high school is proposed for closure, except for the above serious changes to the schools, the RSU 10 board must give at least two years’ notice. Any proposed closure must also be approved by voters.

The proposed agreement — to stay in the district for 10 years under he conditions stated above — also says it will be terminated if the town of Dixfield votes to establish another withdrawal committee or votes to pursue reorganization as a separate school district, or a separate school administrative district.

The district includes the towns of Canton, Carthage, Dixfield, Peru, Buckfield, Hartford, Sumner, Byron, Mexico, Roxbury, Rumford and Hanover.

Withrow said the committee wants to consider the proposal and make it tighter.

Committee member Bruce Ross said he wants comments from Stockford on the draft before asking any questions.

If the town is to vote on a document at the May annual town meeting, Withrow said the committee and school district must come to an agreement by the first part of April.

“If it’s not done by then, we’ll have to wait until November,” he said.

The committee will discuss the comments expected to be made by Stockford at their next meeting at 6 p.m. Feb. 27 at the RSU 10 Central Office.