School Choice 4 Me

George Stevens Academy (GSA) recently announced they are seeking school contracts with Peninsula towns, primarily Blue Hill and Sedgwick as they send the most students. For GSA, enrollment = revenue = survival. In the last five years, GSA enrollment has dropped 25% and they don't have a plan to transition into a 175-student school. Families have different reasons for choosing other schools, and many of those concerns relate to the financial, academic and institutional health of GSA. GSA is asking for "real, honest conversations" and this website offers reliable resources so you can effectively participate in that discussion.

How School Choice Works:

In Maine, the municipality that you reside in is responsible for providing a “free public education” for your children, from age 5 (by October 15) to age 20, per Title 20-A §2, in accordance with the Constitution of Maine, Article VIII.

A municipality can provide this education either by operating their own schools or, if they do not operate their own schools, they can pay tuition to another public school, or a private school approved for tuition purposes. Towns that do so are also known as “sending towns”. The State sets the maximum tuition rates the receiving schools may charge, though there are allowances in the statutes for the sending and receiving schools to negotiate a different rate.

Peninsula families have a unique opportunity to choose how their taxes are spent and where their children attend high school. Verify that your child and town meet school choice eligibility, check the desired school is eligible, and confirm with your local superintendent. School choice funds can be used to reduce tuition for private schools, both in and out of Maine.

Should you reside in a municipality that has its own schools or contracts with a specific school(s), and you choose to send your child to a private school, the town you reside in is not fiscally responsible because they already provide a “free public education” for Kindergarten through Grade 12. See Maine Statutes 20-A MRSA §5203 (1) and MRSA §5204 (1).

To determine whether a school administrative unit (or school union) offers school choice to attend an approved public or private school, you will need to contact each school administrative unit’s superintendent of schools and ask whether they contract with a specific school or offer a choice of schools to which they will pay tuition for a student. Some municipalities within a Regional School Unit have school choice while others do not. It is very important to check with the superintendent of schools to determine whether or not your municipality has school choice. This information is not available at the Department of Education.

A directory of school administrative units is available on the Department of Education website at https://neo.maine.gov/doe/neo/SuperSearch/Home/Index

If your child lives in an Unorganized Territory, please contact the Education in Unorganized Territory Department to determine the education options available.

School Choice “sending towns” usually pay a lower cost per student than if the town funded their own public school. Sending towns are only required to pay the Maximum Allowable Tuition (MAT) set by the Maine Department of Education, $15,055 for 2025/6. Some public schools, such as Bucksport High School at $11,277, are even less. Additionally, towns pay for all special education and transportation costs.

The approximate total cost per Blue Hill student enrolled at George Stevens Academy (GSA) in 2026/7 is $21,000.

Private Schools charge an additional Insured Value Factor (IVF) of 10% of the MAT. Public schools do not charge IVF.

George Stevens Academy has requested, and received, $1,700 in excess tuition for four consecutive years. The Surry Finance Committee recently recommended against approving the excess tuition charge for newly enrolled GSA students in 2026/7.

For Blue Hill, similar to other Peninsula towns, approximately 75-80% of all property tax dollars pay education costs. The Blue Hill School Committee (“School Board”) is responsible for budgeting, and paying, all education costs of children Pre-K through grade 12. Academic fiscal years run July 1-June 30, so budgets are identified by those two years, with the current budget being 2025/6. School Boards usually make a best estimate in budgeting, so enrollment numbers are approximate until school begins. For 2026/7, Blue Hill is estimating 84 (66%) of 127 total students will be attending GSA. The other 43 (33%) students attend eleven (11) other high schools.

Fact Checking GSA:

In 2019, GSA told towns they were in financial difficulty and needed more money. They reportedly said that the Boarding Program was no longer able to

GSA has repeatedly reported they are in dire financial circumstances. This can be seen in their excess tuition appeals to towns and even mentioning their “survival” on their website

GSA’s future financial scenario from their website.

False.

GSA has repeatedly reported they are in dire financial circumstances. This can be seen in their excess tuition appeals to towns and even mentioning their “survival” on their website

GSA’s future financial scenario from their website.

GSA is a slightly above average high school and ranks in the lower 50% of many state categories. Niche.com

Standardized state scores aligning GSA with the State “average”

False.

Google “college placement quality” and you’ll find it’s not a defined metric, which makes it even more ridiculous to claim to be in the top 10%.

Consider that USNews & World Report ranks Greely High School #1 in Maine, yet they are not in the top 10% nationally.

False.

This claim is so lazy it doesn’t even bother to define a category. Top 5% in steel pan players, maybe, or delusions of grandeur, certainly.

USNews ranks Maine #40 in Education, while GSA is in the bottom half of state rankings. Yet, somehow, they want you to believe they are top 5% nationally…

Empty Promises:

Entering into a partnership requires trust, and GSA has consistently shown that their promises are empty. For example:

GSA’s “Vision Goals” in 2022 were a promise to towns to improve, such as increasing enrollment to 90% of rising 9th graders (they are at approximately 70%) and strengthening the Boarding Program, which they discontinued just two years later.

They also promised to improve the campus…

They also promised to become more financially sustainable…

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