Monday, May 7, 2007
While the issue of school district consolidation has been making its way through the Legislature, a number of school districts across the state quietly have been looking for other districts with which they potentially could merge.
South Portland has been talking with Scarborough and Portland. Kennebunk and Kennebunkport have been meeting with Arundel. Falmouth, Freeport, Pownal, Yarmouth and School Administrative District 51, which consists of Cumberland and North Yarmouth, all are eyeing each other.
"And no one has fallen in or out of love," said Robert Hasson, school superintendent of SAD 51.
Even though the fate of school district consolidation is still up in the air, some school districts are not waiting. They are looking for potential partners and ways to merge business departments and bus routes to save costs and still retain high school sports teams and community identities. Other school districts say they are going to wait to see what happens in the Legislature before making plans that may prove to be unnecessary.
The latest proposal for school consolidation is expected to go before the Legislature's Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee some time in the next week before making its way to the full Legislature for a vote.
Some school districts already are looking for potential partners in case the proposed July 1, 2008, timetable for implementation stays in place. School districts also got a nudge last month from the Department of Education, which sent surveys to the state's 152 school superintendents to determine whom they're talking with. Department officials are following that up this week with phone calls to every superintendent.
Local education administrators say the process of finding potential partners is like speed dating.
"They want us to find the date, get engaged and get married in 60 days and make sure it is a lifetime marriage," said Thomas Farrell, superintendent of SAD 71, which is made up of Kennebunk and Kennebunkport.
Gov. John Baldacci pushed the issue of school district consolidation to the forefront in January when he unveiled a sweeping plan that would have created 26 school districts from the existing 290, a move he said would save $250 million over three years and make the delivery of education more consistent across the state.
His plan sent up howls of protest among school administrators and school board officials who said the governor's plan would take away local control of schools. It triggered a half dozen other proposals, including one recommended by the Educational and Cultural Affairs Committee that, unlike the governor's plan, was neither mandatory nor as sweeping.
The Legislature's Appropriations Committee, which has oversight of the state budget, then set up a subcommittee to develop its own version. The subcommittee's proposal, which would be mandatory, would create 80 regional school districts with a minimum of 2,500 students each, with exceptions for tribal schools or geographically isolated districts.
Each new district would be operated by a single school board that would replace existing boards. Even the 21 school districts in Maine that already are larger than 2,500 students would not be exempt. They would be required to reduce spending 5 percent in transportation, special-education administration, and facilities and maintenance services in the first year. It is projected to result in a $36.5 million savings in the state budget in 2008-2009 and another $30 million savings in local property taxes.
Districts that don't find a partner to merge with will be assigned one by the Department of Education, which is partly what is motivating some districts to start looking for possibilities early.
Supporters of the plan say the earlier outcry against consolidation has died down and more people are viewing school district consolidation more positively.
"It is turning, although we are not at any sort of place where the entire Legislature is singing 'Kumbaya' on this," said Emily Cain, D-Orono, who heads the appropriations subcommittee.
Some school districts, however, have more enthusiasm than others in their search for partners.
Hasson said he believes consolidation can result in better schools. He said consolidated districts will lead to school choice, giving the students the option of choosing between high schools within a district. "And that is very exciting," Hasson said.
Farrell said consolidation will allow schools to expand course offerings and add services they couldn't afford as part of a smaller district. Although his school board still has some concerns about consolidation and the proposed timetable, they are getting used to the idea, he said.
"The initial shock is over. We have worked through the anger and are almost at the acceptance stage," Farrell said.
Some school districts say that so far they have not been able to find out how the Appropriations Committee's plan will save them money. Gary MacDonald, superintendent of SAD 72, which includes Brownfield, Denmark, Fryeburg, Lovell, Stoneham, Stow and Sweden, met with administrators at SAD 61, which includes Bridgton, Casco, Naples and Sebago, and SAD 55, which includes Baldwin, Hiram, Cornish, Parsonsfield and Porter.
"We went into this to show how we can make this work," MacDonald said.
After looking at what it would take to administer their combined $60 million budgets, 4,800 students and 1,000 employees, MacDonald said, the school officials determined that the savings from being able to merge business and other functions were offset by the new positions they would need, such as a full-time curriculum director or a full-time coordinator for federal programs, tasks now filled by administrators who do them in addition to other duties.
He said the districts share different educational philosophies. SAD 61 spends more money, for example. "The question becomes, would the level of services be raised to meet that district or lowered to meet the other districts?" MacDonald said.
Other district officials, including Cape Elizabeth's school committee, say they have nothing to gain from consolidation.
"They are very much opposed to what is going on. There is a very strong feeling that we are being very economical in funding anyway," said Alan Hawkins, superintendent of Cape Elizabeth schools.
Nevertheless, the district has talked with South Portland, Freeport and Scarborough about merging some services, such as special education.
The Maine School Management Association, a lobbying group for school boards and administrators, opposes the Appropriations subcommittee's bill, said Dale Douglass, executive director.
Douglass said he does not sense any shift among his members toward supporting the latest proposal.
"There is the same discontent there," he said.
Staff Writer Beth Quimby can be contacted at 791-6363 or at:
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