An elementary school in Bradley will shutter at the end of the school year, if voters approve the closure.
The school board for Regional School Unit 34 voted to close the Viola Rand Elementary School during a meeting Wednesday. The decision will now go to Bradley voters in a May 12 referendum.
The move comes after years of discussion regarding the future of the local school and as the district is facing a substantial gap in next year’s budget. If the school closes, the remaining two pre-K classrooms will move to another school in the district. If Bradley residents reject the referendum, they will be on the hook for about $315,000 to keep the building open.
RSU 34 serves Alton, Bradley and Old Town and has seen declining enrollment for years, which impacts how much money the district receives, Superintendent Matt Cyr said. The district had 1,481 students in fall 2022, compared with 1,377 in fall 2024. The decrease is more significant for the elementary grades.
There are 32 students attending the Viola Rand school this year, of which only eight are Bradley residents while the rest are from Old Town, Cyr said. The Viola Rand students will move to the Alton elementary school, where only three classrooms are in use this year.
Another major factor of funding is the state’s valuation of towns that feed into the districts. The city of Old Town’s valuation has increased by 47 percent in three years, which means the city is now contributing more to the district. That causes an increased tax burden to residents, Cyr said.
Alton and Bradley have seen increases of roughly 20 percent in the same amount of time.
Roughly $600,000 of cuts needed to be made for next school year’s budget, which includes the $315,349 in savings by closing the elementary school. Other cuts will include three teachers and multiple education technicians, according to a letter sent by the district.
“All of that together we were faced with a very challenging school budget as we looked to plan for next year,” Cyr said. “We had already made consolidation efforts over the past two years.”
A “no” vote will result in an increase of 1.85 mils for Bradley residents, which means someone with property worth $100,000 will see a tax increase of $185 per year.
The town doesn’t yet know what it will do with the property if the school closes, Town Manager Melissa Doane said. It will be discussed at a town meeting Tuesday.
“It served us very well and it’s educated many, many Bradley kids and we’re super proud of it,” Doane said. “But we appreciate the diligence that the RSU has done to try to maintain a fair and equitable tax rate and maintain a good education for our students.”
The district started talking about closing the Viola Rand Elementary School in fall 2022 and the community asked for the process to move slowly, Cyr said. Those discussions have helped ensure people are on board with the change, even if they are sad about it, he said.
“We’re really out of options,” Cyr said. “There’s been a general level of sadness but support from our communities.”
A public hearing about the closure will likely happen April 30, but the location and timing are not yet finalized. The referendum is from 3 to 8 p.m., May 12, at the Bradley fire station, 25 Elm St.
