Elected officials and school district staff outnumbered community members at a forum on Wednesday, May 13, meant for the district to share plans for its aging schools and hear public feedback. The two people who spoke up questioned whether officials had the right information to make decisions about the future of elementary schools in Harpswell and other towns.
In September 2025, Maine School Administrative District 75, which includes Harpswell, Topsham, Bowdoin and Bowdoinham, proposed nine options to address needed repairs and update buildings to meet educator and student needs, including accessibility. Three elementary schools, including Harpswell Community School, were first built at least 70 years ago. The district hired the Auburn architectural firm Harriman to develop the long-range plan.
HCS, which serves prekindergarten through fifth grade, received low scores across Harriman’s assessment, which looked at areas like code compliance and plumbing and electrical systems. Most of the classrooms are not wheelchair accessible, and the school lacks space for specialists, like special education teachers.
Although the initial proposals included the possibility of closing Harpswell’s elementary school or renovating it, by April, the district said it was instead considering replacing HCS with a new building on the same site.
School board members Ryan Larsen, of Harpswell, and Andrew “Andy” Begin, of Bowdoinham, said at the time that the decision was influenced by Harriman’s estimate that the cost to rebuild HCS would be similar to the cost of a full renovation. The estimates are $16 million to $19.5 million to renovate the school, or $16.7 million to $20.1 million to replace it.
Harriman architect Lisa Sawin presented three plans at the May 13 forum. All three included building a new school on the HCS site, likely on a different footprint than the current school.
A site has not been chosen, but Harriman believes there would be enough room on the property to build a new school without demolishing the existing building first.
Two of the plans involve closing Topsham’s two elementary schools and combining their students in a new school, and one involved replacing Bowdoinham’s elementary school as well.
Sawin said her firm estimates that the district would spend between $82 million and $135 million to execute the full plan, depending on which option officials choose. She suggested that the school board’s Facilities Committee could vote on its preferred option by the end of this month, with a referendum going to district voters as early as November 2027.
The two audience members who went to the microphone after the presentation questioned Harriman’s estimates and other data.
Dorian Taylor, who lives on Orr’s Island and has a second grader at HCS, said the estimates for repairs were based on statistical analysis of aging school buildings, not on in-depth analysis of the district’s actual buildings, and suggested that the district should complete those studies before it picks a course. Taylor told the Anchor he had been involved in similar reviews in his work as a consultant.
Harpswell Select Board member Matt Gilley asked about an apparent error in Harriman’s calculation of the number of students likely to attend HCS in coming years, based on trends in town demographics and the number of births.
Sawin acknowledged that the firm appeared to have underestimated its projection, and promised to correct the figure.
Gilley said he is glad that closing HCS is off the table, but added, “I think their cost figures and enrollment data need some serious work before I’d feel comfortable saying (the district is) on the right track.”
Select Board Chair Kevin Johnson, addressing the low turnout for the forum, said he suspects many in Harpswell lost interest in the district’s plans after it abandoned the option to close HCS.
Heidi O’Leary, superintendent of schools for MSAD 75, said the low attendance was typical of recent forums, although one in Bowdoinham had stronger turnout.
Bart Beattie, a school board member from Harpswell who sits on the district’s Facilities Committee, said in an email that he thinks the committee has the foundation it needs to start forming a recommendation to the board.
Beattie, who said he was speaking for himself rather than the board or committee, said the cost to maintain the district’s aging buildings is increasing and the district’s investments are not keeping up.
He said the board will continue to seek input from towns as it develops a plan. “Our goal is to thoughtfully balance educational needs, financial stewardship, and community impact as we move forward,” he said.
The school district and Harriman are planning to hold two more community forums in other towns later this month. For details, go to link75.org/school-board.
