Last week I received an e-mail from Tim Wheaton, a School Committee member in Yarmouth, taking us to task for our coverage of the school consolidation issue. I didn’t agree with everything he said. But his main point – that our coverage had been superficial and wasn’t skeptical enough – was valid.

School consolidation is back in the news this week.

Friday’s the deadline for school districts to file their preliminary merger plans with the state Department of Education. This will be the public’s first chance to see how the reorganization – designed to reduce the number of school districts from 290 to about 80 – is shaping up from a statewide perspective.

We have two stories in the works this week about the topic. The first, by our education reporter, Beth Quimby, will explore those districts that have yet to find a potential partner. This story will run either Wednesday or Thursday. The second story, by our statehouse reporter, Paul Carrier, will provide an overview of all the plans filed with the state. That story will run in Saturday’s paper.

The consolidation will be a major topic of coverage for us this fall, as the districts get down to the finer points of the mergers.