That's good in itself, but it also offers local school officials a needed reminder that their task is significant and the time to accomplish it is short.
Maine's commissioner of education, Susan Gendron, told members of the Legislature's Appropriations Committee last week that her department has a number of people who are ready to sit down with municipal school officials. Those experts are available to provide communities with technical assistance and guidance about consolidation.
That's a necessity because lawmakers made it one, by passing a bill to force most of the state's school districts to join with their neighbors, under the certainty those consolidations would save millions of dollars now spent on duplicated administrative costs across 290 separate districts.
The law says that number should be reduced to about 80, but offered districts a number of options about picking potential partners. Only the state's largest districts, plus some geographically isolated ones, are exempt from the new law's requirements.
Gendron also noted that her department has held 26 workshops for local officials, and plans to hold more.
In addition, about 400 superintendents and school board members attended a seminar on consolidation that the Maine School Management Association and a law firm held in Augusta last week.
So, it's not that the word isn't getting out. Still, some lawmakers are expressing concerns that local districts are still resisting the process. That could hurt their taxpayers, because districts that don't comply could have their state aid cut.
Recalcitrant districts, if there are any, should give up their resistance. There's no other way to make progress than this one.
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