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Mount Desert Island Reorganization Planning Committee |
PO Box 60, Mount Desert, Maine 04660 Phone (207) 288-5049 Fax (207) 288-5071 |
Press Release
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Contact: Brian Hubbell Phone: (207) 214-4848 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 3:00 P.M. EDT, April 7, 2008 |
Rural Maine supports LD 1932 as enacted, urges Governor to sign bill
Bar Harbor, ME, April 7, 2008: Educators on Mount Desert Island today join with those from other districts around the state to commend state legislators for enacting LD 1932, the long-anticipated fix to last year’s school reorganization law.
As amended by substantial majorities in both the House and Senate earlier this legislative session, LD 1932 allows school districts the option to consolidate as Regional School Unions, a governance model in which regional central office functions of business, curriculum, and administration are consolidated under the oversight of a regional board while ownership and oversight of individual schools is retained by local subcommittees.
The Regional Union governance model is based largely upon the present administrative structure of School Union 98 which serves the diverse student enrollments and valuations of four towns of MDI and its three outer islands and which the Commissioner of Education has repeatedly declared to be a high quality, successfully administered school system.
Problems of cost and governance in the Governor's previous consolidation law now prevent reorganization in most towns in the state which are subject to the law's requirements. What will fix the problem in one community will not necessarily work in all communities.
We support all the provisions of LD 1932 that will remove various other consolidation barriers for many school systems. We realize that a school union option is neither wanted nor needed in all communities. However, just as surely, without the carefully-crafted, comprehensive school union provisions contained in this bill, a significant number of communities in the state will be either unable to comply with the consolidation law.
Providing this option will not cost the loss of educational subsidies to other communities. That assertion has been made and, when challenged, left wholly unsubstantiated by representatives of the Department of Education throughout debate on this bill. We ask the Department to cease the divisive political rhetoric that has characterized their opposition to the school union proposal and join with us to create efficient and effective school governance structures tailored to meet the diverse needs of Maine's many communities.
This is the moment for the Governor to prevent what will otherwise be profound ongoing contention between the Department of Education and voters in dozens of towns throughout this state. Let us all return our attention to assuring all our children access to the highest possible quality educational opportunities so they each and all will be ready for the challenges of career, college and citizenship in the twenty-first century.
We ask the Governor to sign LD 1932.
Gail Marshall, Mount Desert, MDI RPC
Brian Hubbell, Bar Harbor, MDI RPC
Paul Murphy, Bar Harbor, MDI RPC
Ernie Easter, New Sweden Elementary School
George Crawford, Jonesboro Elementary School
Nancy Hudak, New Sweden
Henri Gignoux, Steuben, Downeast Coastal RPC
Amanda Dyer, Bar Harbor Teachers’ Association
Kristin Hutchins, Southwest Harbor Select Board
John March, Mount Desert
Virginia L. Mott, Lakeville
Lisa Plourde, Conners Emerson School, Bar Harbor
Barry McLaughlin, Superintendent, Union 107
Judith Jones, Hope
John & Tammy DesJardin Frenchboro, ME
Mary Wallace, MDI High School
Kimberly Steinbarger, Beech Hill School Committee, Union 92 RPC
Don Holt, Chairman, Mariaville Select Board
Dick Atlee, Southwest Harbor
Rochelle Sprague, Conners Emerson School
Gordon Donaldson, University of Maine
Cynthia Sakovics Brotzman, Conners Emerson School
Susan Covino Buell, Southwest Harbor
Eric Henry, Southwest Harbor School Board
Sue Hersey, Conners-Emerson School
Mary Ann Young, Conners-Emerson School
Marc Chappe, Conners-Emerson School
Marlene Hurd, Conners-Emerson School
Maureen King, Kennebunkport RPC
Mia Thompson Brown, Chair, Mount Desert Elementary
Elizabeth M. Erickson, Tremont School Board
Valerie Peer, Conners-Emerson School
Kate Chaplin, Cranberry Isles School Board Chair
Kathleen Rybarz, School Board, Lamoine
Anthony J. Robertson, Bar Harbor
Ruth Eveland, Chair, Bar Harbor Town Council
Amy Young, Southwest Harbor, Union 98 Chair
Gail Royal, Southwest Harbor School Board
Ted Spurling, Jr., Cranberry Isles School Board
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