Andover to deliver withdraw contract

ANDOVER- The committee to save the local school plans to submit their first withdrawal agreement contract by the end of the week to SAD 44 school superintendent, David Murphy.

“The letter will outline our intentions to keep the school open and our plans on how we’re going to move forward,” noted Susan Merrow, committee chairperson. “We’re going to continue to educate our town and hopefully we’ll continue with the support we’ve received so far.”

Each line of the contract addresses obligations of each party, teachers, superintendents and all negotiations dealing with the withdrawal process. The SAD 44 school board will send the contract to their lawyer for review and then, pending that outcome, will bring it up for discussion at their January 14, 2013 regular meeting and vote to approve or deny.

“A best case scenario,” stated Merrow. “Is that they agree to the terms we’ve stated. The letter will then be sent to the Department of Education. They will then review it, along with our proposed budget information that we’re currently working on. They have 60 days to review the information. If they agree to the terms, then we could be looking at an election, set by them, for some time in April. That is a best case scenario.”

The committee, made up of selectman Susan Merrow, school board member, Tim Akers, original Save Andover committee member, Paula Lee, and citizen, David Percival, meets at 6 p.m. weekly on Sundays at the library.

They will be meeting tonight at 6 p.m. in the library to look over and make a final review of the withdrawal letter with their two superintendent consultants and three legal consultants.

“We are well-armed with knowledgeable consultants,” stated Merrow. “We want to be sure we cross all our t’s and dot all our i’s.”