Maine ballot 2009 | News |

Question 3 would halt school consolidation

By Grady Kelly

Posted on Thursday, October 22nd, 2009, 3:46 am

Last Monday, the University of Maine hosted a debate on Question 3, a citizen initiative that would do away with the four-month-old school consolidation effort, which has saved millions of dollars but which some Mainers worry isn’t the right direction for public schools.

Question 3 is a statewide referendum attempting to overturn L.D. 2323, a school consolidation law passed in 2008 by the Maine State Legislature. A ‘yes’ will repeal the consolidation law, while a ‘no’ will keep the current legislation. As it exists now, Maine has 218 separate school districts. Consolidation is now working to limit that number to 80.

Exactly how much money taxpayers would save with consolidation is unclear. Newall Auger, Campaign manager for No on 3: Maine People for Improved Education, said: “Reverting back to the old way of doing things would cost too much at this point, and [consolidation] has already saved the state $36 million in the form of education budget cuts.” In contrast Skip Greenlaw, the coordinator of Yes on 3: Maine Coalition to Save Schools, Skip Greenlaw, argued: “Residents in approximately 100 school districts voted against the measure and now face $5 million in penalties. That is not a democracy.”

Auger offered more specific details on the benefits of consolidation.

“Schools in RSU 18, the Messalonskee School District, for the first time in two decades were able to offer music and art classes by combining resources and budgets from a larger school district,” Auger said. He further went on to say, “There has been an actual documented savings of $2.5 million in the past four months, on top of the original budget reductions.”

Maine’s education budget grew from about $700 million to $1.8 billion during the past several years. The state’s share of the costs has remained relatively unchanged. The state currently shares 51.6 percent of education costs, but that is likely to drop to 50.2 percent if the state approves a $38 million cut pending in the legislature, according to David Connerty-Marin, public relations director for the Maine Department of Education. The lack of change helped form the theory that administrative costs were driving up educational budgets, which subsequently resulted in the consolidation effort. The consolidation effort has created 26 regional school units out of 98 school districts in the state.

The law finds most of its savings by cutting jobs in superintendents’ offices and school boards, as well as limiting transportation and school administration.

“They have seen improvement in and more variety of honors and higher education classes,” Auger said.

According to the Maine Department of Education, public schools in Maine have experienced declining enrollments in 11 of the last 13 years. When asked if consolidation would help or hinder this situation, Auger replied, “That is the point: Fewer kids in school should mean less school districts. It is further proof to reduce spending.”

No schools have been shut down because of consolidation and no students have been forced to switch schools because of it, Dunlap said.

“Maine has small high schools. Enrollment declines because less children are being born and less jobs are available in state. The fact is 40 percent of communities in Maine voted against consolidation,” Greenlaw said.

The consolidation process has only been in effect for the past four months. It took RSU 1 — consisting of Bath, Phippsburg, Arrowsic and Woolwich — five years to work out an efficient system after their consolidation in 2004, according to the Department of Education.

“Many districts have undergone increased taxes. This needs to be addressed,” Greenlaw said. “Yes on 3 is fighting for three things: The law needs to be un-mandated; the $5 million in penalties need to be resolved; and communities need an escape clause if consolidation does not work for them.”

Although Yes on 3 argues for minor changes to the language of the legislation, Auger pointed out, “The question on the ballot is to repeal, not to tweak or change the law. If it is repealed, all the savings so far will be lost, and opportunities to save further will also be lost.”

The state would have 45 days to change the language or amend the consolidation law if it is repealed.

“It would take an addition of two sentences to save the districts that have already garnered positive benefits, without having to lose any money already saved,” Greenlaw said.

The crux of the issue is financial savings and whether communities struggling to adopt consolidation can find alternative structures to fit their needs.

The UMaine/UVote student group organized the debate, which took place Monday. Nate Wildes was the lead student coordinator for the event.

“Our goal is to look into all issues on the November ballot,” Wildes said. “We felt that this issue hadn’t been addressed yet. It hits home for a lot of students at the university whose families come from public schools.”

The student group felt Monday’s debate was a success, and have had significant contact from students looking to get involved in today’s politics.