Dear Northport Voter,

We're writing to ask you to vote "yes" on Northport's withdrawal from Regional School Unit 20, on Nov. 4. A yes vote on the withdrawal question will ensure that the Edna Drinkwater School remains open and continues to provide a great education for our kids.

School Withdrawal Committee members Sandy Wallace, Mark Lynch, Debora Riley and Mark Humphreys researched the available options and found that the town would be best served by withdrawing from RSU 20 and becoming its own Community School District. The Select Board supports their findings and recommendations.

As an independent Community School District, Northport would operate the Drinkwater School for kindergarten through eighth-grade, and tuition high school students.

By withdrawing from RSU 20, our town can:
- Provide our children with an education that is second to none. As its own Community School District, Northport will make its own decisions about including such things as foreign languages, arts, music and sports.
- Ensure that the Edna Drinkwater School remains open. RSU proposals in recent years have included closing the Drinkwater School. With two votes on an RSU Board of 17, our town has little control over RSU decisions.
- Deliver quality education that is cost effective. We've seen our school costs to RSU 20 rise more than 46 percent more than in the last three years. According to the work of the Northport Withdrawal Committee, we can provide a better education to our students, and at the same time ease the burden on taxpayers.

Although there will be start-up costs associated with withdrawal, such as renovating the Drinkwater School's kitchen so that meals may be prepared on-site, securing middle school science lab equipment and updating the library, the long-term educational and cost benefits to the town far outweigh the initial investment.

Some of the downsides of not withdrawing:
- Northport would continue to have little say in the operations of RSU 20. With only two school Board members on a 17 member RSU Board, we have little say about education programs and costs.
- The Edna Drinkwater School could close. RSU 20 is facing declining enrollment and will be forced into closing schools in the years to come. RSU 20 has considered closing the Drinkwater School in the past, and there's no reason to believe that Drinkwater would be spared from closure in the future.
- The future of RSU 20 is uncertain. All eight towns in RSU 20 are in the process of withdrawing. If Belfast, Belmont, Morrill, Searsmont and Swanville are successful in their joint withdrawal effort -and we don't withdraw -Northport could be left in RSU 20 with only Searsport and Stockton Springs.

There is a wealth of information about the withdrawal process on the town's web page northportmaine.org/content/4102/rsu20_withdrawal. You can email questions to: withdrawalquestions@northportmaine.org.

Polls are open Nov. 4 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Absentee ballots are now available at the Town Office. Please make every effort to cast your vote on this important issue. State law requires that at least 389 people vote on withdrawal in order for the vote to be valid; your vote counts.

Thank you.
Drexell White, Chair
Denise Lindahl
Mark Humphreys