ROLLINSFORD — It’s been close to a decade in the works, but officials voted 4-2 last week to pursue forming a tuition agreement with the Marshwood School District in 2015.

During an Oct. 16 public hearing, the withdrawal committee decided it would start working on a plan to withdraw from the Authorized Regional Enrollment Area (AREA) plan with Somersworth and form a new agreement to send students in grades seven through 12 to Marshwood, which includes the towns of Elliot and South Berwick, Maine.

Currently, students in kindergarten through grade six attend classes at the Rollinsford Grade School, while grades seven through 12 are educated in Somersworth. Rollinsford pays tuition to Somersworth as part of their AREA agreement, which has been in effect since 1968.

The past two votes — determining whether separation was feasible in September and deciding which district to pursue — was split down town lines as Rollinsford officials were in favor of it while Somersworth representatives were against it.

Although Rollinsford and South Berwick, which are on either side of the Salmon Falls River, are in different states, they are closely connected as the communities play in the same sports leagues, according to Mary Nash, superintendent of Maine School Administrative District No. 35.

Nash, who’s been keeping a close eye on the process, said the district already accepts tuition to allow a Rollinsford sophomore to attend Marshwood High School so it wouldn’t be too much of a challenge to include more students from the town, if it is approved by the communities.

Nash, who became superintendent last year, said many people on both sides of the border are excited about the prospect of going to school together. She added this has been discussed for the past 10 years or so.

The withdrawal committee was formed by officials from Rollinsford and Somersworth after local residents appropriated $5,000 to fund the process in March.

“This has been a fairly lengthy process,” Nash said, adding as Marshwood already has a policy to accept tuition students, would be able to educate Rollinsford’s approximately 150 children.

Nash said Rollinsford officials were trying to decide whether to send all students at once to Marshwood or allow parents a choice to let them finish education in Somersworth.

“From what I understood, they will give families a choice,” Nash said.

The withdrawal must be completed and submitted to the state Board of Education by the end of the month. If approved by the state, officials hope to present the plan to Rollinsford voters in March, even though it wouldn’t take effect until July 2015.

For more information about the Withdrawal Committee, go to rollinsford.nh.us.

jquinn@newstote.com