Local Columns
From the superintendent's desk…
School consolidation in Maine
By Henry R. Scipione, Ed.D.
York Superintendent of Schools
Dr. Henry R. Scipione
The consolidation of Maine schools will be the most significant educational decision made in our state since the Sinclair Act established regional school districts many years ago. Many of you have been following the plans for school regionalization that are being developed, debated and revised at the legislature. The pace has been rapid, the multiple proposals a challenge to understand. A final plan has yet to emerge because there have been changes and options added in an effort to create a compromise plan that will be supported by the full legislature. The pace of this effort has made the monitoring of the different plans difficult. What can be said with some degree of certainty is that a single plan will emerge and be voted during this legislative session.
The process of approving a school consolidation plan rests with the legislature and it must have a two-thirds approval vote. The two-thirds vote is required because the school consolidation plan is embedded in the Fiscal Year 2008 state budget proposal. School consolidation is not a separate bill that can be addressed independently from the state budget. Rather, it is part of the full budget proposal. Therefore, if the state budget passes then school consolidation will be mandatory.
As I write this article, action on proposed legislation is at a critical point. The Education Committee is reviewing two final proposals. The expectation is that the Education Committee will work with both plans and merge them into one final plan. This final plan will then be reviewed by the Appropriations Committee and become part of the full budget bill. If this occurs, then the full legislature will act on the recommendation.
On Monday, May 21, the Maine Department of Education released their recommendation for school consolidation partners in Maine. Under the Department of Education plan, York would combine with Kittery to form one school district. This new district would elect one school board with members from both York and Kittery who would govern the new school district. There would be one central office staff responsible for the administration of the newly combined school system. All administrative functions such as transportation, business, food services, curriculum, technology, special education, etc., would combine into a single system. The new school system would have a student population of slightly over 3,000 students. The Department of Education has released this information as part of their statewide model for school consolidation. Information on the complete regionalization plan can be reviewed on-line at www.maine.gov/education.
As we consider the possibility of combining our schools with Kittery there are many, many questions that remain unanswered. There is much work to be done if this partnership is to be a reality. At this time there have been only limited conversations with Kittery about the possibility of combining. What remains a significant consideration is whether the local community will have the option of approving or rejecting the consolidation model put forth by the legislature. As I understand the current consolidation plans being considered by the legislature, there is a local vote requirement to determine if the community chooses to participate in the consolidation. This is a critical factor because it shifts the decision to consolidate schools from a mandate of the legislature to a vote of the local community. If the condition of a local vote remains in the final plan, it will provide the opportunity for the local community to determine if they want to participate in the consolidation or to remain a separate school district. Should a local community choose not to participate or to "opt out" of the consolidation, then there would be a financial penalty applied. At this time the penalty has yet to be determined. It is likely that the penalty would be a reduction in the amount of state aid received by the community. The decision the local community will have to make is whether they would prefer to assume the financial penalty of choosing not to consolidate with another school district. The ability of the local community to determine its preference for independence or consolidation appears to be a positive aspect of the most recent proposals.
The decisions facing Maine legislators are crucial for the future of public education in Maine. It is imperative that voters are aware of the implications of the decisions that are being made in the legislature. Given the pace and frequency of changes to proposed legislation, we are trying to be diligent in providing information to the community. I encourage you to contact your legislators to voice your opinion on this important educational issue.
