York Town News
From here to Aroostook: opposition remains strong for LSRS
By Jennifer L. Saunders
YORK and OGUNQUIT - The York Public Library's Community Meeting Room was packed to standing-room-only capacity when local legislators came to town last week to talk about Gov. John Baldacci's "Local Schools, Regional Support" school consolidation plan.And York was well represented on Monday, Feb. 5, as well, when representatives from the York School Committee, Board of Selectmen and York School Department were joined by local residents who traveled to Augusta to speak against the plan at a public hearing before the state's Education Committee and Appropriations Committee.
Among those who spoke in Augusta were Superintendent of Schools Dr. Henry Scipione, Board of Selectmen Chairman David Marshall, School Committee Vice Chairwoman Marilyn Zotos and York Curriculum Coordinator Dr. Maryann Minard.
Following the hearing, Scipione said he is hopeful the committees "will develop a plan that's workable, responsible and meets the needs of our kids."
In addition to the governor's proposal, the committees have seven other bills to consider in drafting legislation to address the budget provisions and the concerns expressed by residents from York County to Aroostook County in opposition to the governor's regionalization plan.
"The members of the committees seemed to be open and receptive," Minard said of the visit to Augusta.
Ultimately, it will be up to the full legislature to vote on whatever measure - or measures - come forward, and York and Ogunquit residents had the chance to hear from their three legislators at the meeting held in town last Wednesday, Jan. 31.
Sen. Peter Bowman, D-Kittery, was joined by Representatives Windol Weaver, R-York, Dawn Hill, D-York, and Sally Lewin, R-Eliot, to listen to opinions on the issue.
Bowman cited the importance of local control but also questioned the attitude of some who spoke at a prior meeting held at Noble High School as inappropriate.
"I need to tell you that, because of my position as the co-chair of the Education Committee, it is not proper, it would be inappropriate, for me to take a position on the governor's plan," Bowman said, adding, "I have to remain objective, open to all ideas … I cannot render an opinion on it. … His is not the only game in town. There are many others."
And the committees, Bowman acknowledged, have their work to do, as the committee bill must be drafted by March 15.
"That bill better be the best bill in town, because we haven't done our job if it isn't," he said.
That bill will then go through the legislative process for a full vote. Bowman said he feels determined to drive the issue to a successful completion and to meet the March 15 deadline.
From teachers to administrators, from selectmen to retirees, those of approximately 100 people who crowded the library's meeting room from York, Ogunquit, Kittery, Eliot and beyond to speak at the meeting were against the proposal and in favor of local control.
"I don't believe that's going to help the town of York one iota," said York resident Charles Stacy. "… I, for one, as a citizen and a lifelong resident of the town of York, I'm not in favor of that."
Fred Knox agreed, adding residents should be willing to engage in civil disobedience if the state attempts to mandate such a plan.
"This is wrong. The principle is wrong. The whole game is wrong. … You're playing with democracy. You're playing with our local history," he said. "… We'll make York private schools before we'll do that."
Tom Manzi said the plan will "make York the governor's cash cow in the southern state. Absent a citizen's referendum, this is tyranny … this is tyrannical and unconstitutional. The governor should learn a lesson from King George III. His handlers checked his chamber pot every morning to gauge his sanity. Has anyone checked his chamber pot recently? … This madness of King Baldacci can be met by the same strategy of the Colonials of 1776. Civil disobedience. Cession from the school system. Withholding of taxes. Or, seceding from Maine and rejoining the Massachusetts Bay Colony … the lesser of two evils."
Local resident and teacher Andy Geranis told the legislators they are the only voice the voters have on the issue.
"Your job, that you were elected for, is to be our voice in Augusta. On this matter … you are our only voice. The governor has silenced my voice as a voter," he said. "His actions are disingenuous at best, they are tyrannical at worst."
Ogunquit Selectman Jon Speers offered a similar perspective, voicing concern for the quality of schools and the loss of local control.
"We've been hearing a whole lack of specifics. We're being asked to change education the way we know it in the state of Maine (without any details). I think that is the exact opposite of the way things ought to be done," he said.
Weaver agreed.
"I can assure you that as the bill is written right now, I won't vote for it," he said, echoing comments by Zotos at recent hearings. "I couldn't have said it better myself."
Bowman said he believes there are better alternatives than the governor's bill, adding that in terms of the feedback he has received to date, the responses have been approximately 40 to 1 against the plan.
Hill, too, said she does not think the end result will be the governor's bill, but questioned whether there is a "silent majority" that supports the plan.
"I would like to hear hundreds of people saying they're against this," she said.
In Augusta on Monday, that is what happened, with two rooms of the Civic Center dedicated to the hearings and estimates of 800 people attending with the vast majority, from all parts of the state, speaking in opposition to the plan.
As Minard told the committee members in Augusta, it was disappointing that on the state's website a "GrowSmart survey with 500 respondents is headlined as an indicator that a majority of Maine citizens support the LSRS plan, while not a word is mentioned on the website about the hundreds of citizens who have voiced their concerns about LSRS at every regional informational meeting across the state. … Please be certain that you have all the facts and that the facts include the true cost - in dollars and cents, and in the price we will pay if we move to mega-districts that will make our school systems more impersonal when the need to reach out in personal ways to families and children have never been greater."
For more on the proposals and the committee's ongoing work to draft an education bill, visit www.maine.gov.
