PELHAM — Board members discussed an even and amicable split at the SAU 28 board meeting Wednesday evening.

Windham is withdrawing from SAU 28 at the end of the school year and will operate as SAU 95 starting in July 2013.

The districts have about $57,491 in shared assets. The boards have considered even distribution of assets or having Windham pay an estimated $25,000 to $29,000 to Pelham.

“I wonder if our solution is somewhere in between those two,” said Windham School Board member Stephanie Wimmer.

Pelham needs time to determine what it needs before any decisions are made, Wimmer said.

New Pelham Superintendent Amanda Lecaroz agreed. Windham's SAU will be housed in the current SAU 28 building, leaving Pelham to find another space. It will be hard to determine what assets are needed without knowing where the SAU office will be and how much staff it will need, Lecaroz said.

The Pelham School District is investing in architectural and engineering studies to determine the feasibility of converting six classrooms in the Town Hall building to SAU office space. A formal proposal will be presented to the Board of Selectmen if it's economically feasible, Lecaroz said.

If the project is feasible, Superintendent Henry LaBranche suggested the districts work together to find temporary housing for the Pelham SAU while construction is under way.

Both districts are facing costs in addition to asset distribution. The Windham SAU withdrawal study committee estimated the town would also incur about $20,000 to $70,000 in start-up costs.

The districts also share technology systems that will be split.

“The technical impact in both districts will be minimal,” said Business Administrator Adam Steel.

The districts share two software systems, AppliTrack, an applicant data base, and BudgetSense. The BudgetSense system has two data bases that are on the same machine but are not connected. The system can be split in December when Pelham gets a new server, Steel said. The AppliTrack database will either be copied or Windham will start a new database.

Each district has its own transportation contract with Student Transportation of America. Windham School Board member Michelle Farrell asked if it would still be possible for the districts to work together and create economies of scale for items such as fuel.

No rules exist to prevent such collaboration, Steel said.

“I would like to think that would certainly be advantageous for both districts,” Steel said.

Windham has started a superintendent search for the new SAU 95. Five focus groups are being formed next week to gather input. A screening committee will be appointed by the beginning of November to choose three to five candidates to appear before the School Board. A decision is expected in January. The new superintendent will start July 1, 2013.

The boards will formulate an asset distribution plan for discussion by April 1 and be ready to vote at the last joint meeting between the boards on May 15. It will be held in Pelham Elementary School, where the first SAU 28 meeting was held.

jhanson@newstote.com