A Bath elementary school is topping the list of priority school construction projects in the state.
Dike-Newell School served PreK through 2nd grade, until it was severely damaged in a fire in 2022. Since then, the district has held classes out of the former technical center, now owned by the city of Bath.
Patrick Manuel, the district superintendent, said he is thrilled to see the school top the construction list.
"Our goal is to try to be very efficient at building this new facility so that we can get out of that facility that we're in now," he said.
Dr. Levesque Elementary in Frenchville and Loranger Memorial School in Old Orchard Beach are also among the state's top priorities.
John Suttie, superintendent for the Old Orchard Beach district, said he is excited to be high on the state's list, but knows that there's still much more work to be done.
"It's premature to think about what may occur in the future," he said. "So we're going to be optimistic but reserved until we find out what the actual plan moving forward for the future is."
Department of Education officials said they don't yet have a set amount of funding, or the number of projects they will approve.
The department's Scott Brown said there were 95 applications this cycle, an increase from past years, as many districts seek to modernize.
"A lot of it is age," he said. "The age of the building energy systems in the building, believe it or not, program needs like special education, which has really seen an increase in needs in school buildings."
The department uses a rating system to prioritize applications, considering factors such as building conditions, overcrowding and enrollment estimates.
