Educational Options Study Consultant

TOWN OF MOUNT VERNON, MAINE Request for Proposals — Educational Options Study Consultant Issued by the Educational Options Task Force for the Mount Vernon Select Board Release: [August 4 , 2026] · Proposals due: [August 19, 2026, end of business] · Project period: [August 31, 2026- March 24, 2027] BACKGROUND & CHARGE At the June 13, 2026, Town of Mount Vernon annual town meeting, voters approved Warrant Articles 34 and 35, attached, directing the Select Board to establish an Educational Options Task Force (“Task Force”) and appropriating funds for consultant and legal support. The Task Force seeks an educational consultant to help fulfill its charge. OBJECTIVES The Task Force seeks the services of an Educational Consultant to support the Task Force in identifying the options available to the Town of Mount Vernon which shall include at minimum: Options within the RSU framework: 1. Continued participation in RSU 38; 2. Re-negotiated terms within RSU 38 (such as adjustment to the cost sharing formula); 3. Any other options within the RSU framework reasonably identified. Other options outside of the RSU 38 Framework including: Options 4-9, which if chosen, would require withdrawal from RSU 38: 4. Become an Alternative Organizational Structure (“AOS”) with the same four towns (Manchester, Mount Vernon, Readfield, and Wayne); 5. Become a municipal elementary school and tuition grades 6-12 to RSU 38 or elsewhere if RSU 38 will not accept tuition students (this is the governance structure currently used by a neighboring community); 6. Join Wayne and/or another municipal elementary school (if interested) as an RSU or AOS, which includes tuition to RSU 38 (or elsewhere if RSU #38 will not accept tuition students); 7. Share Superintendent and other central office services through an Educational Service Center (“ESC”) with any of the identified options; 8. Join another RSU; 9. Any other options outside of the RSU framework reasonably identified. The Consultant will evaluate each option equally against the five criteria below: Criterion | What the report must address Projected costs Financial impact, including impact on property-tax, one-time transition costs, ongoing operating costs, capital costs; Legal requirements Guided by the legal advice of a legal consultant, retained separately, ensure options conform to Maine law, required approvals and votes, timelines, Maine DOE requirements, and obligations under the RSU Consolidation Agreement; Practical implications Operations, transportation, staffing, special education and services, facilities, administrative capacity, accessibility of educational programs and services, and risk; Student development & success Educational quality and outcomes, programs, class size, continuity, and services; Community benefit/impact Both positive and negative effects on the community, including use of the Mount Vernon Elementary School facility and its role in town life under each option; Other Such criteria as the consultant may suggest. SCOPE OF WORK 1. Attend an agreed upon number of virtual and in-person meetings; 2. Provide interim check-ins on a pre-determined schedule; 3. Deliver a proposed options matrix based on the criteria listed above; 4. Provide research support for various options; 5. Supply drafting support for reports/presentations (organized findings, tables, section drafts, and the underlying cost model); 6. Help present findings at a town forum/forums; 7. Identify elements of the scope of work which may be performed by the Task Force in order to lessen the hours incurred by the consultant; and 8. Other consultative support as mutually agreed upon. TIMETABLE The Task Force anticipates that the requested work will proceed over a seven-month period, with delivery of an options matrix within a three-month period. WHAT TO SUBMIT Please provide: (1) approach and methodology; (2) a short statement of neutrality; (3) a conflict-of-interest disclosure of any interest in whether Mount Vernon stays, leaves, or restructures (4) qualifications and experience with Maine municipal/school-finance and RSU/AOS withdrawal experience; (5) at least three references, preferably from towns similar to Mt. Vernon and for scopes of work similar to that outlined above; (6) your proposed engagement agreement, including your proposed budget and work plan for educational consulting services only; and (7) CV or resume. Please also confirm your availability for a one-hour in-person or virtual meeting with members of the Task Force to be held within 5 days of the proposal submission deadline (August 19, 2026). BUDGET, SCORING & SUBMISSION Budget: A total of $25,000 has been appropriated by the Town of Mount Vernon to support the work of the Task Force. This amount includes the fees for both an educational consultant and a legal consultant. Our Evaluation will weigh proposals based on cost, relevant experience & qualifications, methodology & work plan, independence & neutrality, and references. Schedule. Questions to the Task Force, if any, due [August 13, 2026] · Proposals due [August 19, 2026, 5 pm] · Award [August 24, 2026] · Assuming an award on [August 24], the Project will begin on August 31, 2026· Tentative project milestones are: Draft interim analysis to Task Force by December 8, 2026; Interim Task Force Report December 15, 2026, and Task Force Final Report no later than March 24, 2027, or within 30 days of the issuance of the RSU Strategic Plan Report. Submit To: Submit proposals via email to Brenda Hopkins, Town Operations Coordinator, Town of Mount Vernon (opscoordinator@mtvernonme.org). Phone- 207-293-2379. Direct questions by email to the contact above; questions and answers are shared with all bidders. Under Maine's FOAA, proposals are generally public records — flag anything you consider confidential. The Town reserves the right to reject any or all submissions, waive technical or immaterial nonconformities in the best interest of the Town, and exercise judgment in evaluation. The contract is subject to Select Board approval, and the consultant will work under the direction of the Task Force. The Town does not discriminate in its procurement. Bracketed fields and design questions (June 2026 date/Article 34, the consultant/legal budget split, the "no recommendation" design, and final-report timing against the target Town Meeting) require Task Force or Select Board confirmation before release. Warrants containing Educational Options Task Force Charge Article 34: To see if the Town will vote to direct the Select Board to establish an Educational Options Task Force, charged with preparing a comprehensive, viewpoint-neutral written report to the Town that examines the educational options available to the Town of Mount Vernon — including continued participation in RSU 38 and all identified alternatives — evaluating each option on equal terms with respect to projected costs, legal requirements, practical implications, expected impact on student development and success, and potential for community benefit including use of school facilities. This article directs the Selectboard to form a task force to prepare a written report examining Mount Vernon’s educational options, including continued participation in RSU 38 and any alternatives, with projected costs, legal requirements, and practical implications. Article 35: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate $25,000 to fund the work of the Educational Options Task Force established under Article 34, including consultant and legal fees. This article funds the Task Force established under Article 34, including consultant and legal fees, up to $25,000.