AUGUSTA -- More Maine school districts are making progress in complying with a state law aimed at shrinking the number of districts in the state, numbers released Thursday by the Department of Education show.

Since March, school officials have submitted 19 complete plans to the Department of Education under the consolidation law, though all of those are alternative plans from districts that do not intend to merge with others.

Four different proposed school districts planning mergers are expected to submit complete plans in the coming weeks, department spokesman David Connerty-Marin said.

The new plan completions follow the approval of 20 consolidation plans since the beginning of the year by Education Commissioner Susan Gendron. Another merger was approved through a separate law. But the department still cannot give a firm tally showing the number of school districts Maine will have after the merger process is complete. A handful of districts have yet to decide on final consolidation partners.

The 2007 state law requiring school districts to consolidate is an effort to reduce their number from 290 to approximately 80, in part to save on administrative costs. Connerty-Marin estimated the final number of districts would fall slightly below 80. "I'm feeling pretty optimistic about this," he said.

Of the 19 complete plans submitted to meet a June 13 deadline, Connerty-Marin said some should receive Department of Education approval in the coming days.

The newest complete plans include submissions from Gardiner-based School Administrative District 11 and Augusta public schools, both of which filed alternative plans with the Department of Education after they were unsuccessful in their searches for merger partners. Planners of an eight-town proposed district that would include Alna, Chelsea, Palermo, Somerville, Westport Island, Whitefield, Windsor and Wiscasset are among the groups expecting to submit completed reorganization plans in the coming weeks.

Matthew Stone -- 623-3811, Ext. 435

mstone@centralmaine.com