To the editor:
Smart shoppers know they can buy canned goods cheaper if they buy a case of canned peas at Sam’s Club rather than a single can at the local grocery store. It’s a simple economy of scale. Because the processor can spend less on packaging, savings can be passed on to the consumer.
Some of Maine’s political leaders have proposed applying that same concept to Maine’s schools. By making school districts larger, they purport to achieve economies of scale in purchased supplies and administrative salaries.
Governor John Baldacci and Education Commissioner Susan Gendron are strongly advocating school district consolidation claiming that more money can be spent in the classroom rather than on administration.
The problem is that any savings produced by school district consolidation are typically consumed by inefficiencies inherent in large bureaucratic school districts, and the resulting loss of local citizen control over our local schools is simply unacceptable.
Historically, centralized management models created by consolidation have led to administrative bloat, not streamlining. After years of consolidating school districts nationwide, administrators now equal, and in some states exceed, teachers and instructional staff as a proportion of school staff.
The impact of consolidation on education quality must also be considered. Consolidation will ultimately create larger schools (the desired goal?) and research shows that students in larger schools perform no better than those in smaller schools. Kids thrive in educational settings where they are treated as individuals, not as “numbers” to be processed.
Consolidation may be appropriate for some communities, but that determination must be made locally and on a case-by-case basis. Imposing consolidation from the statehouse would likely lead to administrative expansion, not reduction, at the expense of student achievement. It would lead to the loss of local control, school closures and the accompanying demise of economic viability of small communities across Maine. Do we want to see our children, citizens and communities stuck with that?
Superintendent Roger Shaw
MSAD 42
Mars Hill
