BUCKFIELD — Regional School Unit 10 administrators are developing plans to move into the new Mountain Valley Community School in Mexico late this year or early next.

“We’re really starting to make plans towards moving into the building,” Superintendent Deb Alden told directors at their Sept. 8 meeting at Buckfield Junior-Senior High School. “So we’re looking at calendars and at what they think are possibilities. So it’s not set in stone yet, but definitely December/January we will be moving in.”

Staff training for the building systems is going to take a lot of work and organization, she said.

“It’s everything from the building systems in terms of heating, cooling, kitchen — it’s all new. And we’re not used to having everything brand new. So they’ll be a lot of work involved in all of that,” she said.

There’s also placement of the artwork. “My understanding is that the three artists have their work just about done,” Alden said.

The $92 million school on Highland Avenue will house an estimated 1,000 students from prekindergarten to eighth grade from Rumford Elementary School and Meroby Elementary and Mountain Valley Middle School, both in Mexico. Ground was broken in November 2023 at the site of the middle school at 58 Highland Terrace and Meroby Elementary at 21 Cross St.

Alden said staff is looking at the sixth, seventh and eighth grade students moving first, then Rumford Elementary School students, followed by Meroby Elementary School student.

She said they are considering two weeks each, which means students would be learning remotely for a week and then having no classes for a week.

“And during that time, teachers would be finishing packing up and then stuff would be moved in and teachers would be setting up their rooms,” the superintendent said. “We can do some overlap because they’re different schools, so we’re working on getting all that kind of firmed up. And it’s coming down to the wire.” she said.

Board Vice Chair Jen LeDuc of Rumford asked how the missed student days will be made up.

“So last year, because of money for the budget, we requested the state Department of Education grant five less school days for each of the three school buildings,” Alden said. “Because, if not, we would have had to come up with five additional days to pay staff.”

In another matter regarding the new school, Thomas “TJ” Williams, district deputy grandmaster of the 20th Masonic District of the Freemasons, announced the organization will have a public cornerstone dedication at 2 p.m. Oct. 11 at that school by the grandmaster of Masons of Maine.

“It is open to the public and we’re hoping the community will join us and see the Masons in action, but also see the magnificent school that’s over there,” he said.