By Lisa Williams Ackley
Staff Writer

FRYEBURG — Hopefully, students in the seven towns that comprise the Pequawket Valley School District will continue to enjoy their high school years at Fryeburg Academy, a private school here.
The board of directors of School Administrative District 72 voted unanimously Sept. 1 to enter into contract negotiations with the trustees of Fryeburg Academy, according to Superintendent of Schools Gary MacDonald.
“The motion to enter into contract negotiations with the Academy passed unanimously,” MacDonald said. “We made it official.”

According to the superintendent, SAD 72’s current contract with Fryeburg Academy to accept high school students from the towns of Brownfield, Denmark, Fryeburg, Lovell, Stoneham, Stow and Sweden expires in 2014.

“The current contract is up, in 2014,” MacDonald said. “It is a 10-year contract, and we’ll be beginning contract negotiations now, because the way the contract reads, at least three years’ prior to the (current) contract expiring, both sides have to officially agree to begin negotiating a new contract.”

The Board of Trustees of Fryeburg Academy previously voted to enter into contract negotiations with SAD 72, MacDonald said.

“We will begin the contract negotiations, this fall,” Superintendent MacDonald stated. “First, Board Chair Pat White will be appointing a Contract Negotiations Committee of four to six school board members, and then we will talk with Fryeburg Academy about when they want contract negotiations to begin.”

“We’re hoping that they are successful contract negotiations that will continue the long tradition of students from this area attending the Academy,” MacDonald said. “We are looking forward to positive negotiations that will keep us moving forward in a positive way, for both sides.”