To the editor:
My family and I have lived in small towns and plantations in Maine for the past 40 years. My wife and I, between us, have held almost every local town office. It is very clear to us that small towns continue to survive in spite of Augusta, not because of Augusta. I have served on several school boards over the years and our major problem each year was that Augusta (State Board of Education, legislatures and the rest of those in authority) refused to obey the law. The law simply states that 55 percent of the school budget will be funded by the state. I know of no case where this 55 percent was funded by the state. The only thing I saw was a number of unfunded mandates passed on to the local schools by the state.
The articles put out by the Governor, State board of Education, and others are full of false facts. They claim the number of school districts is 288 or 290. Maine never had that many. There are 88 school districts in Maine. There are another 142 school systems that are part of municipal governments. Their superintendent costs are normally very low. For example here in Nashville Plantation, the cost paid to our superintendent printed in our Town Report is listed at $2,000 a year. We pay the state average costs per pupil to SAD 32 to educate our students. I fail to see how this plan does anything to reduce our costs in this area. But it may cost us a lot in school property.
Under this new 26 district plan the towns will lose all school property. I’m not sure what is included here; town school buildings, school lots, school playgrounds, and whatever else the new district and/or the state can take. Add to this local control is lost. Any debts the town owes remain with the town. This does not sound good for us in the towns.
Now look at just a few of the real problems with this new 26 District Consolidation Plan of the Governor. Most superintendents have multiyear contracts. I served on school boards when we had to buy out two superintendent contracts. That is expensive. Teachers, principals, support staff, bus drivers and others all have contracts as well. Do we buy them all out too?
Another problem of concern is in these new 26 districts will be made up of several of the present districts or systems, who all have different pay scales. My experience tells me that these new 26 districts will want same pay scale for all teachers, with same degrees and years of experience. It seems all the teacher unions and support staff unions like it that way too. I can bet all teachers and staff pay in these new districts will rise to what was the highest scale in the old districts. It must be that new math in Augusta that I can not understand that enables the Governor and the Education Commissioner to save us money.
The Feb 28 front page of the Bangor Daily News had an article titled “Model for Schools” which outlines a program now in place in northern Maine where schools have combined under one superintendent, saving both money and local school board control. This was first done in SAD 32 in 1991. After a short time the Commissioner’s Office made us get our own superintendent. I recall this well as I was chairman of the School Board then. Now 16 years later it’s OK to combine! Taking our local control, school property and leaving only the debts for the town to pay, this is a great deal for the Governor and the empire builders in Augusta, but a poor deal for the towns and us locals. Let us combine on the local level it works well and keeps local control and property.
My suggestions for saving money are to start in Augusta. After all that is where the real waste is. I would hope that Gov. Baldacci would treat lightly on taking away local control and property that has been ours for many years. After all almost two thirds of us who voted that last election voted for someone else for governor. Yes, Governor, we will continue to survive in spite of what you and Augusta do to us.
A. Allen Murphy
Nashville Plantation
