AUBURN — As a critical deadline passed Wednesday, the new board of directors leading efforts to save Saint Dominic Regional High School is proposing to lease the school and move middle school students to the high school.

Those plans, as well as frustrations with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, were included in a long statement shared on the board’s Facebook page Wednesday night.

Wednesday was the deadline the diocese gave the board to come up with $3 million for an escrow account it could draw from to keep the high school open for what board members describe as a bridge year. The escrow funds would cover operating losses over the coming school year, with the intention of handing the high school over to the board and making it private the following year.

However, the Facebook statement said the board has been having trouble coming up with the $3 million and also is struggling to get the diocese to respond to questions and proposals.

“It is important to acknowledge that despite repeated attempts at engagement, clarity and partnership with the diocese, (attempts) have been difficult to achieve,” the statement reads.

The new board was formed after the diocese announced in March that it would close the high school at the end of the school year, though the K-8 school in Lewiston will stay open. The group has since been raising money and support with the hope of keeping the school open next year until it is in a position to take it over completely.

The board has communicated with the diocese primarily through writing, board member Jonathan LaBonte said. The board had one informational sit-down meeting with the diocese that LaBonte said he would not characterize as a negotiation.

“I would say that communicating only via email or written proposals misses the nuance of this situation and hasn’t allowed us to seek consensus on addressing shared concerns and shared goals,” he said.

The diocese declined to comment further until Friday when a representative said it would issue a public statement.

Board members include LaBonte, Marc Frenette, Mike Barriault, Abi Bates, Jamie Ouellette, Andre Achenbach, Sean Andrews, Adam Dunbar and Scott Booker. In the post Wednesday, members proposed new terms to the diocese for keeping the school open.

Those terms include offering to rent the Auburn campus next school year starting in July, which includes taking on the full financial and operational responsibility of the school, including staffing.

“This would provide immediate financial relief to the diocese while ensuring continuity for students and families who want to continue their Catholic education at St. Dom’s,” the statement reads.

The board also offered to allow the middle school to operate out of the Auburn campus for one more year to give the diocese time to determine where best to move those grade levels.

“By consolidating grades 6-12 in Auburn, we can preserve educational continuity for middle and high school students while supporting the diocese’s efforts to refocus resources on a viable plan for younger students,” the statement said.

The board reported that repeated attempts to engage with the diocese have been difficult, Wednesday’s statement reads. The board has had a hard time meeting the terms of the $3 million requested by the diocese; so far the board has raised more than $1 million through donations and funding pledges.

“For most donors, this figure — particularly without a clear, shared path forward — is simply not feasible,” the statement reads.

Outside diocese negotiations, the board has been in touch with the Maine Department of Education to learn more about establishing a new private school, the statement said. The board is still exploring other solutions to keeping the school open, including other locations, but said it needs to continue operating out of the Auburn campus in the short term.

The board is asking for the lease and the opportunity to present the full details of its plan to the diocese, the statement said. Despite the slow-going talks with the diocese, the board remains hopeful.

“The goal of the nonprofit board is not just to reopen the school this fall, but to stabilize and sustain Catholic secondary education in our region. This is still possible — but time is short, and diocesan action is essential,” the statement reads.