At a non-binding referendum on June 15, Robbinston voters showed -- by a vote of 110 to 80 -- that they would support closure of the Robbinston Grade School and the tuitioning of all students to Calais. School committee chair Joe Footer says that, on the advice of AOS 77 Superintendent Kenneth Johnson, the committee will take some time to research what will happen next. "He advised me to take more time to give this some more thought," Footer explains about the decision to keep the school system as is, close it or enact some other scenario.
     Originally the school committee had thought that it would be expedient to meet shortly after the June 15 vote to discuss the results and next steps, but Footer says that there is the possibility that once the school is no longer a part of the AOS on July 1, the process of closure could be easier. Part of the process of giving it more thought will be meeting with interim Calais School System Superintendent Ray Freve to seek his input on possible closure.
     The school board has now decided to meet on Wednesday, July 1, at 6 p.m. at the school to vote on closing the school, eliminating teaching and support staff positions 90 days after July 1 and entering a tuition contract with the Calais School Department for elementary education.
     Footer notes that the school committee just heard that there will be some additional revenue loss from MaineCare for the coming school year, creating a $50,000 to $60,000 shortfall in the already thin budget.
     However, he adds, "Even if we close the school it won't be immediately cheap because we'll have teachers to pay." He adds, "Costs won't go away."