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.