Type Public Established 1980 Students 1,359 (K-12, 2011–2012) Number of students 1,359 (K-12, 2011–2012) | Grades K through 12 and Adult Website www.k12wocsd.net Founded 1980 Superintendent Ellen H. Schneider | |
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Budget 21.33 million USD (2012–2013) Motto Ensuring Continuous Improvement; for Each Learner Profiles | ||
The Wells-Ogunquit Community School District (also known as Wells-Ogunquit CSD or CSD 18) provides education for students of all ages in the coastal southern Maine towns of Wells and Ogunquit.
Contents
History
The district was created by the Maine Legislature in 1980 when Ogunquit was incorporated as a town. (Prior to that, Ogunquit had been a village within the town of Wells.)
Throughout 2008 and 2009, in an effort to comply with the state's 2008 school consolidation law, the district attempted to find another district to merge with, in order to form a Regional School Unit. Wells-Ogunquit explored merging with MSAD 71 (Kennebunk-Kennebunkport), as well as the York and Kittery school departments, but was unable to reach an agreement with any of them. Wells-Ogunquit submitted a waiver application to the state, which was rejected. The state then recommended that Wells-Ogunquit merge with the Acton School Department, despite the substantial geographic distance between Acton and the Wells-Ogunquit area. Under the pressure of a deadline from the state, the towns of Acton, Ogunquit, and Wells held referendums to determine whether voters would approve or deny the consolidation. Voters in all three towns rejected the plan. Under the consolidation law, Wells-Ogunquit is therefore allowed to remain a "stand-alone" district with no penalty.
Governance
The district is governed by a school committee, which consists of six elected at-large members: three from Ogunquit and three from Wells. Committee members serve for three-year terms. The votes of Wells committee members are weighted more heavily than the votes of Ogunquit committee members, in order to reflect the population difference between the two towns.