Baldacci's Maine school consolidation idea unravels
Portsmouth Herald, November 9, 2007
(excerpt) But in southern York County, it ran into problems almost from the start. Kittery, which pays its teachers much less than York and is facing a major construction project with the probable replacement of the Frisbee School, was not an attractive partner. York looked north to the Wells-Ogunquit Consolidated School District. School Administrative District 35, with more than 2,500 students in South Berwick and Eliot, should have been immune altogether.
Last September, the state asked York and SAD 35 to take another look at Kittery. They did, and said no thanks again, a stance they reiterated in past few weeks. Every time they crunched the numbers, taking into account the mandates built into the law, it made little sense to make Kittery a partner. Meanwhile, Kittery could potentially face penalties for being an orphan despite its good-faith efforts.
We have heard school superintendents and school committees from all three districts say for months that the consolidation plan was not well thought out, and leaves gaping holes. They say they get no answers from the Department of Education, although they ask. Confusion has added to confusion.
Other parts of Maine have also crying foul. When bills were filed this fall for the upcoming legislative session that starts in January, no fewer than 68 dealt with the school consolidation law, everything from tweaking it to outright repeal. A citizen initiative to put repeal on the ballot is also underway.
And the Department of Education, we learned this week, is submitting its own bill. Gone will be the special education mandate. Gone at least in part will be the state subsidy mandate. In other words, all that money the state was going to save up front may soon evaporate. At least we think so. It's hard to get definitive answers from the DOE.
This is not the first time we have expressed high hopes for a Baldacci initiative, only to be disappointed later on.
(excerpt) But in southern York County, it ran into problems almost from the start. Kittery, which pays its teachers much less than York and is facing a major construction project with the probable replacement of the Frisbee School, was not an attractive partner. York looked north to the Wells-Ogunquit Consolidated School District. School Administrative District 35, with more than 2,500 students in South Berwick and Eliot, should have been immune altogether.
Last September, the state asked York and SAD 35 to take another look at Kittery. They did, and said no thanks again, a stance they reiterated in past few weeks. Every time they crunched the numbers, taking into account the mandates built into the law, it made little sense to make Kittery a partner. Meanwhile, Kittery could potentially face penalties for being an orphan despite its good-faith efforts.
We have heard school superintendents and school committees from all three districts say for months that the consolidation plan was not well thought out, and leaves gaping holes. They say they get no answers from the Department of Education, although they ask. Confusion has added to confusion.
Other parts of Maine have also crying foul. When bills were filed this fall for the upcoming legislative session that starts in January, no fewer than 68 dealt with the school consolidation law, everything from tweaking it to outright repeal. A citizen initiative to put repeal on the ballot is also underway.
And the Department of Education, we learned this week, is submitting its own bill. Gone will be the special education mandate. Gone at least in part will be the state subsidy mandate. In other words, all that money the state was going to save up front may soon evaporate. At least we think so. It's hard to get definitive answers from the DOE.
This is not the first time we have expressed high hopes for a Baldacci initiative, only to be disappointed later on.
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