CHINA -- School Committee members will decide Wednesday whether to forward a proposed regional school unit plan to the commissioner of education.

The plan proposes combining China, Vassalboro and Winslow -- currently School Union 52 -- with Belgrade, Oakland, Rome and Sidney -- currently School Administrative District 47.

The School Committee meets at 6 p.m. Wednesday at China Middle School. Interested residents are welcome.

Committee Chairman Charles Clark, one of China's three representatives on the regional planning committee that drafted the plan, said he intends to recommend approval.

He cited four benefits to China:

* The draft agreement protects school choice, allowing China students to continue to attend Erskine Academy, the private South China high school.

* Special education opportunities will be expanded and costs reduced.

* Transportation costs should decrease.

* China elementary-level programs will be protected and preserved even if the town's school population -- and therefore state funding -- continue to decrease.

Clark said he considers the last point most important.

Should China remain a municipal school unit, he said he foresees the need to cut programs as state aid is reduced. But he said being in a larger unit would allow tactics such as sharing teachers to keep programs alive.

The main transportation advantage will be combining bus routes with Vassalboro and Winslow to avoid duplication. For example, he said a bus bringing China students to Winslow could pick up Winslow students; Vassalboro buses could serve China students on the west side of China Lake.

Having a single special-education director for seven towns will integrate programs, and having a larger group of special education students should make it possible to hire specialists, rather than contracting for expensive outside services, Clark said.

Under the draft agreement, the regional unit will pay for busing to Erskine, unless the state funding formula changes to eliminate reimbursement for secondary-level busing, Clark said.

Also, the regional unit will pay Erskine's tuition up to the average tuition of Winslow and Messalonskee high schools. If the state average is higher, the town of China would pay the difference up to the state average.

By town meeting votes, China currently pays for busing to Erskine and for tuition up to the state average.

Clark cited one potential drawback to the new regional unit for China: China will have only two members on a 15-member regional board.

Voting would be weighted, based on population, as follows: Winslow 25.5 percent, Oakland 19.9 percent, China 14.1 percent, Vassalboro 13.9 percent, Sidney 12.7 percent, Belgrade 10.9 percent and Rome 3.5 percent.

Clark said as long as all towns elect board members whose main concern is education, he foresees no problems. After all, he said, the planning committee resolved many difficult issues.

He pointed out that state funding for each member town is determined by the school population and property valuation, not by the regional board.

And, he said, given the broad area the regional unit encompasses, it would not be practical to close any town's elementary school and send its students to another town.