Meeting #2 of the Reorganization Committee tonight - Monday, November 17, 2025

Public Meeting Notice

MSAD33 and Madawaska Schools Reorganization Committee Meeting

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Date: Monday, November 17, 2025

Location: Madawaska Middle/High School Library 

Time: 6:30pm

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Agenda

• Committee Responsibilities and overview  

• Governing Board size and voting protocol

• Disposition of real and personal school property

• Disposition of existing school indebtedness and lease purchase obligations

• The assignment of school personnel  contracts, school collective bargaining agreements and other school contractual obligations

• Other

• Set December meeting date

MSAD33 and Madawaska Apply for Part 1 of Regional School Program

As part of the Maine Department of Education's Major School Construction Programs, MSAD33 and Madawaska Schools have applied for the Integrated, Consolidated 9-16 Educational Facility school construction program together.  This is the same program the two school units were previously approved for with MSAD27 back in 2018.  Now, the application allows for only two school administrative unit partners instead of three.  

• Note 1: This is a different and separate school construction application than the one that MSAD33 has already been ranked #2 on the 2024-25 Final Priority List. 

• Note 2: Periods of public input will begin ONLY IF a project is awarded to the school districts.  This is a competitive process that will take over a year to determine who is awarded the project. 

• Note 3: Grade level configurations for a potential school have not been determined and will be done so ONLY IF a project is awarded to the school districts and ONLY AFTER the public has had time to provide their feedback. 

• Note 4: Site selection of a proposed school is part of the process and will be determined ONLY IF the project is awarded to the region.  Site selection will be done in accordance with Maine law and a site selection committee of stakeholders will be appointed for this purpose.  

The part 1 application was turned in prior to the October 31, 2025 due date and the part 2 application will begin upon receipt of the part 1 score.  Part 2 is due on October 31, 2026.  

Updates to this application will be posted on this blog as they are received. 

Notice of Intent to join an RSU

The Maine Department of Education will not allow different school districts to operate one consolidated school; therefore, Madawaska and MSAD33/RSU33 would need to begin discussions on having Madawaska join MSAD33/RSU33 in the event that those school districts are ever selected for a regional school project, similar to the Valley Unified School project they were approved for with MSAD27 in 2018.  

As part of this process, the two school districts must file a notice of intent to begin examining a possible RSU.  This notice was filed in August of 2025 and was approved on September 3, 2025.  Under Maine law, a reorganization committee must be formed and must represent stakeholders from each municipality looking to reorganize.  

At the beginning of October 2025, the following committee members were appointed to this committee:

Frenchville:

• Jeremy Pelletier (Business Stakeholder)
• Adam Paradis (Town Selectman)
• Erica Albert (Community Member at Large)

St. Agatha:

• Doug Lerman (Business Stakeholder)
• Mark Chamberland (Town Selectman)
• Gerard Castonguay (Community Member at Large and Former Board Member):

Madawaska:

• Keith Cyr (Business Stakeholder): 
• Jenney Dionne (Town Select person): 
• Louis Dugal (Community Member at Large and Former Board Member):

It should be noted that this committee has a very specific task to examine what a combined RSU would look like, not discuss a possible regional school.  That is a different process that will be handled by different committees.   Specifically, this committee is charged with:

• Governing Board size and voting protocol
• Disposition of real and personal school property
• Disposition of existing school indebtedness and lease purchase obligations
• The assignment of school personnel contracts, school collective bargaining agreements and other school contractual obligations

It should also be noted that Madawaska, Frenchville, and St. Agatha do not intent to form an RSU together unless they are selected as a recipient of a regional school construction
project. 

Madawaska Finance Committee tasks Madawaska School Committee with action...

 During the regular board meeting of the Madawaska School Committee on November 4, 2024, then chairman of the town Finance Committee, Tom Kent, asked (on behalf of the finance committee) to consider one of two plans:

1. A plan to close one Madawaska School and move all students to one building. 
2. A plan to apply for a new school with MSAD33. 

Based on this feedback, the Madawaska School Committee proceeded with having an engineering firm estimate the cost to engineer moving students from Madawaska Elementary to Madawaska Middle/High School.  The committee also opened dialog with the MSAD33 board about the possibility of applying for a regional school.

The estimate plan from WBRC Engineers and Architects to conduct a facility review and concept design service for the Madawaska School Department specific to consolidating in to one school ranged from $45,000 - $49,000.  This fee does not include the actual costs to retrofit MMHS classrooms to occupy MES students.  

Conversations between the Madawaska School Department chair and vice chair, and the MSAD33 chair and vice chair began in the winter of 2025. 

Click here or the image above for WBRC estimate.