Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Now they're getting somewhere.
The Legislature's Education and Cultural Affairs Committee's failure to recommend a credible school administration reform plan was beyond irresponsible.
Fortunately for taxpayers and students alike, members of the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee appear to be made of stiffer stuff.
That's a good thing: Gov. Baldacci has already penciled the $250 million in savings from his reform bill into the budget. If lawmakers can't obtain that kind of savings from school reform, they'll have to find it someplace else.
Last week, appropriators agreed that Maine's school districts should be directed to consolidate until the combined student enrollment reached at least 2,500 by 2008.
The committee wisely sought to provide some flexibility in the mandate: The boundaries of a school district of 2,500 students in Aroostook County might be too geographically far-flung to be feasible.
However, once lawmakers figure out how to make consolidation work for rural areas, they ought to mandate that every school district in the state comply with the new standards.
Appropriators are angling toward recommending a Dec. 31 deadline for the Department of Education to help school districts craft consolidation plans.
Any school administrative units that don't take action by the end of the year, lawmakers are suggesting, would simply be assigned to a school district by the state Board of Education. Any community that objects should be declared inviolation of the law and risk having its state school aid eliminated.
One of the component discussions in the reform debate involves the size of the new regional school boards. Baldacci's plan called for a maximum of 15 members each, a number some feel is too small, given that certain districts are likely to comprise more than 15 communities.
While there may be no magic number for the proper school board size, designating one voting member per community is the wrong formula.
School boards should be based on population, with each member representing a specified number of people.
The Appropriations Committee's sensible approach has been greeted with pushback: The Education Committee and lobbyists are yapping about the dangers of "top-down" reform.
Maine has tried the carrot for years without appreciable results.
It's time for the stick.
Reader comments
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What could be better for Maine than a schoolyard brawl between an editorial board and all them whiny, pencil-necked educators?
But, once that dust settles, let's skip right ahead to the conclusion:
Hey y'all -- give it up for those California test scores!report abuse
Look at a local school budget. In most areas administration is a minor part of the budget. Outside of having a superintendant school districts have the authority to have as many or as few administrators as they deem necessary.
Teacher and support staff salaries as well as special education
consume the largest part of the budget. School districts negotiate on their own and are free to pay as little or as much as they wish. There is a range of teacher salaries in Maine. Fiscally responsible districts negotiate more sharply and have lower pay scales and less cost to their taxpayers.
Making teachers state employees will inevitably raise pay scales. The state is far less sensitive to taxpayers than local school boards and city councils. Additionally many districts vote on their budgets and can veto them if they feel there is a lack of fiscal restraint.
Local government is always more accountable and when coupled with an active and informed electorate can reduce budgets significantly. Consolidation can help reduce costs in certain areas like purchasing and special services. Smart districts should investigate these possibilities anyway.
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This editorial position is correct.
Given the power and influence of the educational community which has a vested interest in blocking any cost cutting reforms, stating this position so plainly is courageous on your part.
I hope that lawmakers and educators alike read this editorial, and once again, think about the promises of tax relief most of them made to beleaguered property taxpayers last November.
My thanks to the editorial board for writing and publishing this position.
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