One bill for all plans

Kennebec Journal, February 1, 2007

(excerpt) None of the several bills proposing to consolidate school administration to cut costs is likely to make it to the full Legislature, local legislators told school and city officials Wednesday.

Instead, what is likely to emerge from the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee for the full Legislature to consider is a single bill combining pieces of the other bills, Gov. John Baldacci's proposal included, into a single bill from the committee.

"The Education Committee is going to take the best of all these ideas and bring a bill forward," said Rep. Kim Silsby, D-Augusta, sponsor of one of six bills proposing to consolidate school administration in Maine. "Report after report after report is saying this is what we need to do. The talk is not if, it's how."

What was originally scheduled as a public "listening session," of the Augusta legislative delegation at Cony High School on Wednesday turned into a discussion between legislators and local school and city officials because those are the only people who showed up. Each of the 11 attendees was affiliated either with the legislature, a local school, or the city of Augusta.

So they sat down together to debate and discuss the merits and hazards of consolidating school administration and what may emerge from this legislative session.

"My hope is you don't get out of this session without a solution in place," said Augusta Mayor Roger Katz. "There is a natural resistance from local school boards and superintendents who have a stake in the status quo. If you can figure out a way to save money without giving up some local control, you ought to get the Nobel Peace Prize."