Less than a year after its elementary school was shut down, the town of Liberty is drafting a plan to withdraw from Regional School Unit 3 and is considering joining another school district.
Early this year, the town voted to begin the withdrawal process. As part of the process, the town formed a committee which has until May 19 to draft a withdrawal plan and submit it to the state’s commissioner of education for approval. If that happens, voters will have the final say, most likely on Election Day in November, said Carol McGovern, chair of the town’s Leaving Regional School Unit 3 Committee.
The town has had “very, very positive” talks with RSU 12, which serves seven towns including neighboring Palermo, McGovern said. RSU 12 citizens would need to vote to accept Liberty into the district, which could happen as early as June, McGovern said.
“If we withdraw we have to know that they’re willing to accept us,” McGovern said.
If the plan moves forward, Liberty students would go to school from kindergarten to 8th grade in Palermo starting in the fall of 2027. RSU 12 does not have a high school which means the town would pay for students to attend their choice of public or private schools.
The move comes after RSU 3 closed Liberty’s Walker elementary school in June 2025. The committee briefly considered what it would take to reopen the school but determined it would not be a viable option, McGovern said. The town voted in January to take ownership of the building and is now considering options such as turning it into a community center.
Since the Walker school closed, Liberty’s students, from kindergarten through high school, travel to the Mount View schools in Thorndike, which can take more than 20 minutes each way.
“It’s pretty far on a bus for the little guys,” McGovern said.
A move to RSU 12 also could save Liberty taxpayers money, since RSU 12 determines how much towns pay on a per-pupil basis instead of based on property taxes, McGovern said.
“But the most important thing is we want to make sure it’s better for our kids,” said McGovern, who was the Walker School’s principal for nine years.
McGovern said both districts offer a good education.
The town has considered leaving the district before; in 2023, it began the withdrawal process but withdrew the petition before it went to a vote, according to information posted on the town’s website.
The committee put out a survey to voters at the Liberty town meeting last week in order to collect information and opinions and will also hold another meeting to share a draft of the withdrawal plan before submitting it to the commissioner.
