Letters to the Editor
Slow down on Rogers Road
Dear Independent,A little dog was killed today. To you, he was just in your way. Two little black-and-white dogs, happy to be on their leashes, walking with their loving master down Rogers Road.
One little black-and-white dog will never forget what you did to his lifelong friend. Coward that you are, you looked in your rearview mirror, then drove even faster. What you did was awful. You saw his owner run to pick up his little pal.
I am a neighbor whose cat was hit twice the same way. He died the second time. I had him for 14 years. Was that you also? Think how the man felt as he put his little dog things away and watched the other little dog look out the window for his buddy.
These little dogs were admired and loved by many neighbors. You are admired by no one, I'm sure.
Please, people, stop speeding on Rogers Road. Our neighbor's dog is sorely missed and our heart goes out to our neighbors and their surviving loved one. As he sat and watched television, something was missing on his lap, it was the little, 12-pound, black-and-white dog that you killed going about 40 mph instead of 15 mph.
Kay Dalli
York Beach
Anderson's Bakery warmed the heart
Dear Independent,Just a few years ago there was a bakery in York off Long Sands Road by the name of Anderson's.
A baker, a good son, labored there and created delicious breads, cakes and pies. And whether the sun rose or the fog from the sea drifted in, hot, delicious coffee flowed on and on.
One could slip in quietly, take a cup to ward off the chill and, alone in blessed calm, read the news or write a letter. If one ventured toward sociability, one could chat with a neighbor or a stranger. The lady who presided over this civilized awakening was Marilyn, the baker's mother.
Well, it is gone now. Village shops come and go. And I only go, for keeps, where I feel truly welcome. The genuine friendliness and smiles that graced the java at Anderson's linger on and warm my longing heart.
Warren Lemon
York
Committee: No to LSRS
Dear Independent,The York School Committee has sent this letter to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs and Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs regarding Gov. Baldacci's school reorganization plan.
Dear Chairman Bowman, Chairwoman Rotundo and Honorable Members:
After much information gathering, involvement in community and regional meetings, and discussions about the educational and financial implications for the town of York of Gov. Baldacci's regionalization plan for education in Maine we, the York School Committee, vehemently oppose the plan.
The York School Committee supports well planned efforts to encourage the efficient delivery of educational services through cooperation among school units, regional delivery of specific educational services and educationally sound school unit consolidation. One goal is to share savings between the district and the state. Another goal is educational excellence.
The York School Committee believes that any school reorganization plan should include provisions for local voter approval and is consistent with Maine's long tradition of local governance, local control and local participation in the education of Maine's children.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Chairwoman Patty Hymanson
Vice-Chairwoman Marilyn Zotos
John D'Aquila
Tim Fitzgerald
Mary Jane Merrill
York School Committee
School Committee offers ideas
Dear Independent,This letter has been sent to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs and Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs regarding the York School Committee and ideas for school district consolidations.
Dear Chairman Bowman, Chairwoman Rotundo and Honorable Members:
York has a solid educational system and we, in this community, are proud of it.
Historically, we have funded our school system locally with proportionately very little from state funds (example: The state gave us about percent of our budget until two years ago and now gives us about 10 percent). Essentially, we have locally funded all four of our schools and our central office. We operate under a Home Rule Charter and a locally developed tax cap. York Schools have had an energy management system in place for a number of years, and we regularly look for fuel and instructional supply purchasing efficiencies. We also understand the economic pressures in the state of Maine and would endorse thoughtful consolidations that maintain our educational standards at the same time as they minimize costs.
If a state plan is devised: 1.) Current districts would remain. 2.) The state would require all districts to participate in a regional cooperative. 3.) Districts would choose their own partners with which to form a regional cooperative. 4.) The number of students in a regional cooperative would be based on educational research and not exceed 5,000. 5.) The regional cooperative's goal would be to meet fiscal benchmarks in a timely fashion, and share the generated savings with the state. 6.) Efficiencies in financial management, facilities, human resources, fuel, special education, nutrition and educational supplies would be the focus of fiscal savings, although other areas might also be targeted depending on the resources and needs of a given regional cooperative. 7.) Reaching EPS benchmarks would occur over time incrementally and the EPS number would be reevaluated at intervals to test its validity against excellence in education. (Remember that more than 80 percent of districts voted to fund above EPS.) 8.) If benchmarks aren't achieved, the state would incrementally reduce funding to the districts in that cooperative based upon an agreed upon formula. 9.) Some regional cooperatives could choose to consolidate their districts. 10.) An "opt out" clause would be available to districts that would cause them to lose state funding. 11.) A "best practices" website or other statewide sharing process would be developed by the state. 12.) The state would actively address, through state and national initiatives, the high cost of health care that drives up our benefits budget line. 13.) The state would continue to actively look for ways to expand the tax base to support the general economic health of Maine, which would, in turn, provide more financial support for education.
Thank you for your hard work on this critical issue, thank you for listening to our ideas and we look forward to your responses.
Sincerely,
Chairwoman Patty Hymanson
Vice-Chairwoman Marilyn Zotos
John D'Aquila
Tim Fitzgerald
Mary Jane Merrill
York School Committee
The Independent Letters Policy: The Independent welcomes letters and opinions on any subject. We do not accept anonymous letters. Letters should be 200 words or less. We reserve the right to edit submissions for length, accuracy, and/or legal reasons and to reject any material considered unsuitable for publication. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of The Independent or its staff.
Send your letters to the Editor at PO Box 6, York, ME 03909 or via email to editor@yorkindependent.net. Deadline for publication is 12:00 noon on the Monday prior to that week's publication
