WALES -- A handful of residents turned up for a public hearing Wednesday night at Oak Hill High School on the proposed reorganization of School Union 44 -- which serves Litchfield, Sabattus and Wales -- into a regional school unit.

The reorganization is being done in compliance with the state's school-district consolidation law.

Joan Thomas, vice chairman of the Litchfield School Committee, said residents asked about the effect of the consolidation on local schools and local control.

They were told the unit could not close any of the towns' elementary schools because that would require a vote of the town.

They also were told that similar curriculum programs in the elementary schools would continue.

"They wanted to keep the same kind of math books in one school as the other," Thomas said.

Residents in all three towns will go to the polls Aug. 12 to vote on the reorganization, which would set up a nine-member regional school board.

With representation geared to population, Litchfield would have three members, Sabattus four, and Wales, 2. The current makeup of the Union 44 board includes five members each from Litchfield and Sabattus and three from Wales.