To the editor:
The proponents of consolidation say it is long overdue. For some, it is merely an effort, just as with most corporate mergers, to cut costs. Those who honestly feel this way I can respect, even though they are wrong. At least the honestly ignorant are only going to hurt education in Maine by accident. How are they supposed to know Susan Gendron, Maine’s Commissioner of Education, is misleading them? She has had the help of Governor Baldacci and even some local legislators who always portray their option as the only option.
The consolidation of Maine school districts will cost more money than it will save, especially over the first three or four years as administrators work through the duration of their contracts. The consolidations will in many cases cause increases in local tax burdens while at the same time degrading student learning.
The issue is not as pressing in large districts where the impact will be minimal, or in places were schools are stacked one atop the other in close geographic proximity. However in Aroostook and Washington counties, and elsewhere in rural Maine, schools will close, people will move closer to the schools which remain open, small towns will literally die, and students will suffer as class sizes increase, and opportunities to participate in extra-curricular activities disappear as new mega-districts consolidate teams and clubs.
Local representation will be torn away, which may very well be a huge part of Ms. Gendron’s true agenda. Local boards have prevented some of her hair-brained reforms in the past, and preserved some local influence in what our kids learn. There is a movement both in Maine and across the country to make every child’s education identical, regardless of what the local community values and desires. Imagine having almost zero input into what our children are taught. It is part of the future consolidation promises.
As far as taxes, the only way consolidation might eventually save some money is when, a few years down the road, smaller schools are choked off and they are closed. Commissioner Gendron and Gov. Baldacci have said from the beginning that the state of Maine will not close any schools. They are technically correct, but the truth is more insidious than the image of some official in Augusta openly and honestly signing an order to close a school. Their consolidation law will create conditions forcing small towns to commit cultural suicide, compelling them to close their own local schools and ripping the heart out of their own communities. It is obvious, and any of the proponents of consolidation who deny this are either being dishonest or are so deficient in their understanding of the facts that they should be ignored.
It is morally acceptable to tell the public, if they truly believe it, that they are trying to cut costs no matter how wrong their financial projections are. As long as they don’t lie and say they are doing it because it is best for kids. That cutting funding hurts learning is another debate, but I’ll only mention here cutting costs will put more kids in each classroom by closing schools, and it will have young children spend over an hour on buses one way. Students simply will not learn as well as they could and should.
Everyone who has taught or learned in a classroom knows a smaller group of students is better for learning. Even the youngest students consider this to be common sense, from their own real experiences.
Only the disingenuous or completely ignorant would suggest that learning would not be hurt by consolidation.
The Maine Legislature passed this entire mess into law. It is time to ask every single Maine State Representative and Maine State Senator, how they voted. Then, even if they made the error of voting for the law initially, we can forgive them if they repeal the consolidation law in the coming session. they will not, we all must remember to vote against them in their bid for reelection. At best, at absolute If best, they are honest but they are willing to hurt kids in order to save money, while not understanding education financing well enough to know that consolidation will not save money for years to come.
What if a school district decides to do what is best for its students and ignore this latest of many mistakes from Augusta? To make a heroic stand like MSAD 24 is trying to do? The state of Maine will then withhold funds, with the impact being in many cases that schools could not open their doors in the fall without possibly doubling local taxes. Ms. Gendron, the Governor, and the legislators who support consolidation may consider this leverage, a way to force all of us to comply, but it is nothing short of extortion, and of the worst kind. We cannot fight their nonsensical attack on our children and communities without risking the well-being of our children. What kind of people can in good conscience do such a thing? Anyone who tries to resist them is portrayed as misinformed, stupid, crazy, or all three and any community that tries to stand up to Augusta’s blackmail risks the funds needed for learning.
Contact your local legislators and tell them that school consolidation needs to be stopped; the law needs to be repealed. Those trying to consolidate our schools are counting on our patience and passivity, so it is now time to actively work to stop this colossal mistake.
Contact Commissioner Gendron. E-mail her at susan.gendron@maine.gov. Call her at (207) 624-6620. If you cannot speak to the Commissioner directly, and more than likely you will not get to, ask to speak to her scheduler to make a telephone appointment to discuss the issue. If the phone gets you nowhere, and e-mailing the commissioner directly does not work, e-mail her administrative assistant at tammy.morrill@maine.gov or her scheduler at sandra.moreau@maine.gov. Fax her office at (207) 624-6601.
Or the Deputy Commissioner, Angela Faherty, can be e-mailed at angela.faherty@maine.gov. If no one gets back to you, try the Chief of Staff, Valerie Seaberg, and ask if there is some way you can speak with Commissioner Gendron. You can e-mail Ms. Seaberg at valerie.seaberg@maine.gov or call at (207) 624-6834.
You can even e-mail the Governor and let him know how you feel about consolidation. You can e-mail Gov. Baldacci at the address on the Maine.gov Web site which is governor@state.me.us or more directly at john.e.baldacci@maine.gov. You can also call the Governor at (207) 287-3531 or fax at (207) 287-1034.
Or to save time, you can just e-mail them all at once and tell them you are against school consolidation.
Vote “No” every time and in every case that there is a local vote which will help consolidation along, no matter how much the State and even some of the local legislators try to scare you with stories of disaster. Do not be frightened into hurting your own children by government bureaucrats and their warnings. Vote “No” on even the smallest local issue that will help them in their effort to consolidate our schools. Attend the meetings of the regional planning committees and insist they talk about learning, not just finances. Most of them are not getting the numbers right anyway. If you did not know, yes there is a committee in your area planning the consolidation of local school districts. Call your school superintendent and ask when and where the next meeting is. The superintendents are not often allowed to participate in the meetings, but they known where and when they are being held. Attend the meeting and insist on being heard every time they meet.
Sign the petitions going around for the citizens’ initiative to repeal the law. When the referendum finally happens, vote “Yes” to repeal and kill the consolidation law and effort.
Remember to vote against any elected official who from this day forward does not resist consolidation. Vote against any elected official from school board member to governor who does not actively work to repeal consolidation. Call them and tell them to work to get consolidation repealed or else you will vote against them in their reelection bid.
The consolidation of education is simply based on errors and lies about saving taxes and is about Augusta taking control of our local schools, although it is mendaciously said to be what is best for the students. Micromanagement is distasteful even when the manager is competent, but in this case, micromanagement from Ms. Gendron’s office would be simply unbearable. Under the consolidation law, she has the sole authority to approve and deny consolidation plans, in effect setting up which schools will survive, hand-picking by herself which small towns in Maine will die and which will not, all the while harming nearly every student in rural Maine.
Caribou
