Residents of Buckfield, Hartford and Sumner have long been unhappy with their distant status within Regional School Unit 10. They consistently vote against the school budgets and they were aligned in their opposition to the $98.1 million construction plan for a new K through eighth grade school, which is being built in Mexico.
Now the three towns that make up the Nezinscot Region of RSU 10 are pursuing education options that may include seceding from the district, which is based in Rumford and also includes the towns of Roxbury and Hanover.
An informational meeting on the committee’s work to date will be held at Buckfield Jr.-Sr. High School Sept. 11, starting at 6:30 p.m.
After RSU 10 presented its proposed budget last March for the 2026-2026 fiscal year, Buckfield Town Manager Cameron Hinckley posted an open letter on the private Facebook page People of Buckfield urging residents to voice their opposition, stating it would put the town in “danger of being catastrophically ruined financially.”
The budget narrowly passed at referendum in June, by 36 votes. But residents of the Nezinscot Region opposed it by 64%.
Buckfield’s, Hartford’s and Sumner’s Select Boards authorized an ad hoc committee to study the options, benefits and obstacles to formally seceding from RSU 10. The group meets Thursdays, rotating to a different town each week. The public is welcome to attend.
According to Hartford resident and committee member Rebecca Elsman, a petition asking residents if they wish to initiate the process of separating from RSU 10 is currently being circulated. If enough signatures are gathered it would appear as a referendum question on Nov. 4’s election day ballot.
Ad Hoc Committee Chairman Neil Austin of Buckfield told his Select Board Aug. 19 there will still be much to consider and much work to do even if residents wish to move forward with secession.
“If we start the withdrawal process, (we need) to go through and figure out the minimum of what we need to operate the schools,” Austin said during the board’s meeting. “The numbers we’ve worked on were based on the new school budget, the staff and what they already have.
“The thought was brought to us about what if we start from scratch. (We need to) look at the state minimum and what RSU 10 says we need and see where we come in the middle. That’s another process that could take a long time.”
Austin said the first step is the petition process to see where people stand.
RSU 10’s budget has increased by double digits for the last two years. This year’s budget is $43 million, an increase of 16% over the previous. In 2024 the budget was $37 million, an 11% jump from the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
