A proposal to close Bluff Elementary School in Claremont by mid-October was tabled on Wednesday in a School Board meeting that unveiled a growing rift between SAU 6 administration and the board.

Administrators wanted to consolidate students and teachers at Claremont’s other two elementary schools, Disnard and Maple Avenue. They said that unfilled vacancies and resignations have stretched their remaining staff thin and wanted to merge by Oct. 15.

This attempt at rapid mid-school year consolidation doesn’t seem to be a direct result of the district’s financial woes, as the administration conceded that closing Bluff would only yield a “modest” short-term savings of $60,000 to $65,000.

But the districtwide deficit, estimated at millions of dollars, led the board to cut staff and cancel new

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