Ellsworth school vote to feature four facets
Bangor Daily News, June 23, 2007

(excerpt) Voters in Ellsworth hoping to weigh in next Tuesday on a proposed $35 million school project won't see one question on the referendum ballot, but four.

The first question covers the project itself, which will include construction of a new kindergarten-through-grade five school attached to a renovated middle school that will more or less be entirely state-funded.

Questions 2 and 3 are related to additional funding to be raised locally, a total of $1.36 million that would fund enhancements that are not supported by the state Board of Education.

The final question allows the Ellsworth school committee to accept gifts or donations to fund any additional equipment or improvements.

Ellsworth Superintendent Frank Hackett said the four-question referendum ballot is not meant to confuse voters but to be clear about what's on the table.

For instance, Question 2 asks voters to support raising $651,432 to fund an expanded gymnasium, project rooms and additional sinks, plumbing and cabinets. Question 3 separates an additional $716,292 to be raised locally to fund a geothermal heating system for the new school.

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Education head grilled by officials

Kennebec Journal, June 19, 2007

(excerpt) Many superintendents and school board members at the first of 26 planned statewide informational meetings on consolidation grilled Education Commissioner Susan Gendron about the details of just how they are supposed to comply with a recently passed state law aimed at cutting the number of school districts in the state from 290 to just 80 by 2009.

They wanted to know where the projected $36.5 million in savings would come from, what kind of help they'll get from the state, how they will merge different curricula into one, and whether or not their students could still choose from more than one school under the new system.

But others had a different kind of question to ask: What if we can't, or don't, consolidate with anyone?

"What if you're the ugly stepsister, and nobody wants to join you?" asked School Administrative District 11 Superintendent Paul Knowles.

Gendron responded that districts that don't immediately find partners still need to form regional planning committees and continue looking for partners. And department facilitators will be available to help those efforts.

SAD 53 directors begin regionalization process
Bangor Daily News, June 15, 2007

(excerpts) "We need to talk to a couple of different districts," Chairman Robert Downs said. When board members suggested considering SAD 3 (Unity area), SAD 54 (Skowhegan area) and SAD 49 (Fairfield), Downs said they needed to look beyond just the nearest geographical districts.

"We need to talk as well to a highly efficient, top quality district," he said. "What do we have to lose?"

Director Mark LaGross added, "We are still going to be in these towns, in these schools. I think it would be in our best interest to look at efficient, strong districts."

...

The board then turned the discussion to what a committee would ask when meeting with another district.

"I would want to know everything about the process," Downs said. "What is the governing structure? How will decisions be made? Will we get fair treatment? We want to be a partner and be respected for what we bring to the table."

"That's my fear," Director Ron Bessey said. "I don't want to lose the local element which is what makes us good."

Warsaw Middle School principal Sandy Nevens agreed.

"I believe we have a lot of good going on in this district. We need to make sure there is a commonality of philosophy and that there will be a democratic representation. We don't want to be the flea on the dog."

This article is not available online. It is excerpted here because of its local interest. We offer this excerpt in the belief that such use of this material falls within fair use guidelines. Back issues of newspapers are available at local libraries. Please support your local newspapers!

Students joining education board

Kennebec Journal, June 13, 2007

(excerpt) By next January, there should be two new, young faces on the state Board of Education.

A new law authorizes the governor to appoint two Maine high school students, a junior and a senior, to the board. The student board members will serve two years and will receive all materials given other board members. They may speak freely on any matter, and they will receive an allowance and mileage reimbursement.

But they will not be allowed to vote.

Jim Carignan, board chairman, said he personally wanted to see student members have equal rights with adult board members. But he conceded he was unable to persuade a majority of his board to support giving students a vote. He hopes that situation will change, as board members realize the contribution students can make to debate and decision-making.

Report from the Transition Team

Times Record, June 11, 2007

(excerpts) For the past 18 months, this region has convened a committee to draft a plan to create a new regional model of education for Bath and School Union 47 schools. This committee, the Regional Education Task Force, met frequently for more than 15 months and created a document that supports a new regional system. That work was approved by both the Joint Board of School Union 47 and the Bath Board of Education in unanimous votes and moved the work of the Regional Task Force to the Transition Team for implementation and the writing of necessary legislation to authorize the creation of a new regional school district.

...

Briefly, let us summarize the major points of this legislation:

• School Union 47 and Bath public schools will become one regional district, under one board, one superintendent, one central office staff and one budget.
  
  
• The school board will consist of nine equal voting members. There will be new districts/wards formed and each district/ward will comprise at least two communities. These districts/wards will respect the principle of "one person, one vote."
  
  
• The new district will be fully operational by July 2008.
  
  
• We have developed a cost-sharing formula that will lower taxes for all communities and keep state subsidy level for three years.
  
  
• Students will be able to attend the school of their choice if there is space available.
  
  
• We will achieve more than $460,000 in savings in the first year.
  
  
• The budget will be developed by the new board and voted on in a district-wide referendum.
  
  
• All assets will be transferred to the new district. The current debt that the Bath School Department carries will be shared by the new district. This is offset by permitting students in School Union 47 who attend private schools to continue in that placement at the expense of the new regional school district.

SAD 4 gets $100,000 more than expected
Bangor Daily News, June 9, 2007

(excerpt) SAD 4 Superintendent Paul Stearns said late Friday afternoon that the district received about $100,000 more in revenues than were originally anticipated. He said about half of the revenues were Medicaid payments that school officials were not sure would be paid this year or next. He said it initially had appeared the district would have about $200,000 in unanticipated carryover [or surplus] when in fact it will have about $300,000.

"We felt the prudent thing to do was to reduce the carryover by $100,000 and lower the tax rate," Stearns said of reducing the local additional funds, which are raised through property taxes without a state match. "We just feel the right thing to do is to use that to lower the tax assessment."

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Consolidating districts: Now the hard part

Portland Press Herald, June 8, 2007

(excerpt) School districts are required to tell the state about their proposed merger partners by Aug. 31 and submit their reorganization plans by Dec. 15. Local referendums are to be held by Jan. 15, 2008, but could be postponed until June 10 for compelling reasons. The deadline for the reorganized districts to be operating is July 1, 2009.

State education officials are preparing for a series of meetings to explain the new law and the suggested model for district mergers. Twenty-six regional meetings must be held by July 15.

The Education Department has already started work to bring on facilitators and others who will provide technical assistance to districts, said David Connerty-Marin, a department spokesman.

"We'll be providing information and guidance in very short order to at least get them started in the process," and working with them throughout, he said.

The new districts must have at least 2,500 students. Districts can make a case that geography, economics. transportation, population density or "other unique circumstances" make it impractical to reach that figure. In those cases, districts will be required to have no fewer than 1,200 students.

Indian and island districts are exempt from mergers, as are districts that cannot find partners and "high-performing" efficient districts -- those with three schools identified as high performers in a 2007 report and where spending on administration is less than 4 percent of per-student costs.

All districts, however, must have plans to cut spending on administration, transportation, maintenance and facilities, and special-education administration.

House OKs budget; Senate vote is next

Central Maine Newspapers, June 6, 2007

(excerpt) The House voted 114-27 on an amendment that gives some school districts

more time to plan for district consolidation and adds language to address
high performing schools. It also includes language to help districts that
may be left without partners, according to the House Speaker’s Office.

The Senate is expected to take up the budget today.

House holds out for budget compromise

Associated Press, June 6, 2007

(excerpt) Representatives mowed down a string of proposed changes to a $6.3 billion state budget Tuesday night as they waited for a compromise amendment to the two-year spending plan.

By overwhelming votes, the House rejected amendments addressing narrow issues in the budget proposal that was unanimously endorsed by the Appropriations Committee.

The votes brought representatives closer to considering an amendment addressing a portion of the budget that is regarded as critical to the whole package: a plan to consolidate Maine's school systems. The plan calls for a reduction from the current 152 school administrative systems down to 80.

The amendment appeared to satisfy concerns of a bloc of lawmakers known as the Rural Caucus, who want to ease both the deadline for meeting the district consolidation requirements and penalties for not meeting them.

Proposed SAD 3 spending plan up 10 percent
Bangor Daily News, June 1, 2007

(excerpt) The SAD 3 board worked hard to limit the growth of its proposed 2007-2008 operating budget, but a one-time bond associated with the $40 million new school now under construction pushed the increase to 10.3 percent.

The school board and Superintendent Barbara Rado Mosseau presented the $16.7 million budget proposal at a public hearing on Wednesday night. Voters in the 11 district towns will be asked to approve the spending plan when they go to the polls June 12.

In her letter included with the budget sent to district residents in May, Mosseau explained that the board initially arrived at a budget proposal of $15.8 million, a 3.8 percent increase over the 2006-2007 budget.

But district officials subsequently learned that they must pay about $900,000 in interest on a short-term bond that will allow SAD 3 to pay bills for the new school.

The bond allows the district to pay current bills on the project.

On Thursday, Mosseau said the bond principal will be repaid by state funds, and that the full construction cost of the school, which replaces the Mount View complex in Thorndike, will also be borne by the state.

Even with the one-time bond interest payments, the increase to local taxpayers is 1.6 percent over the 2006-2007 budget, according to the superintendent. SAD 3 will receive 15 percent more in state funds in the next year, she noted.

This article is not available online. It is excerpted here because of its local interest. We offer this excerpt in the belief that such use of this material falls within fair use guidelines. Back issues of newspapers are available at local libraries. Please support your local newspapers!