By KEITH EDWARDS
Staff Writer Monday, January 22, 2007

But it's not the only proposal aimed at saving funds by consolidating school administrations. At least four other plans have a similar target, but take aim in different ways.

While the proposals vary in their approach, they all have the same basic goal of decreasing what Maine spends on school administration.

Senate Majority Leader Elizabeth "Libby" Mitchell, D-Vassalboro, said the proliferation of proposals seems to suggest actual school administration reform of some kind will emerge from the discussion.

"We're looking for the best way to get there," said Mitchell, who has served on the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee since the mid-1970s. "This is a discussion we've been having for years. What all these plans recognize is Maine spends more for school administration than other states."

Baldacci has proposed replacing Maine's 290 school districts, and the jobs of the 152 superintendents overseeing them, with just 26 districts and superintendents by 2008. He anticipates doing so could save about $250 million over three years by drastically cutting administrative costs.

Mitchell is sponsoring an alternative to Baldacci's plan on behalf of the Maine Children's Alliance.

A coalition involving Maine Municipal Association, the teachers' union Maine Education Association, Maine State Chamber of Commerce, and Maine Hospital Association is pushing another alternative, which it expects to be sponsored by Senate President Beth Edmonds, D-Freeport.

A proposal drafted by a subcommittee of the state Board of Education also is an option.

And Sen. Karl Turner, R-Cumberland, is expected to sponsor a bill offering yet another alternative.

The coalition's plan was part of a response to the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, which voters defeated in November. The coalition's plan saves money by cutting school administration costs, but, unlike Baldacci's proposal, it does not specify how those savings should be achieved nor does it require school districts to consolidate.

Instead, it directs school leaders to find ways to save funds by consolidating the services they provide.

"Clearly, consolidation is a part of it," said Geoff Herman, director of state and federal relations for Maine Municipal Association. "The real difference is the decision-making process. The governor's plan is top-down. With the coalition's plan, the Legislature sets a goal at the top -- that you will achieve savings. But it leaves the decision-making authority to meet those goals at the local and regional level where those services are actually performed."

Baldacci's plan would base the state's new 26 school districts on the existing technical center regions.

Both the coalition's plan and the one favored by Maine Children's Alliance also split the state into 26 regions but for a different reason than Baldacci's plan. Instead of using the 26 regions as the state's new school districts, they suggest using the 26 regions simply as groups of school officials who could meet together to finds ways to save funds. Both also allow for more time for planning to occur than Baldacci's plan, which would seek to have the new districts operational by 2008. The coalition's plan sets a target of achieving at least a 10 percent reduction in administrative costs by 2010.

The state Board of Education's plan would replace Maine's 290 school districts with 65 districts with 3,000 to 4,000 students each.

A full day -- which given the controversy of the issue could likely run into the evening, too -- has been set aside Feb. 5 at the Augusta Civic Center to discuss all the various proposals for school administration reform.

Mitchell noted the state should look at what some school systems already are doing as it looks for ways to consolidate administrative functions. She said schools in Winslow, Waterville and SAD 47 in Oakland have recently looked for ways to consolidate to avoid duplicating services in neighboring school districts.

School boards in both Waterville and SAD 47 recently voted to discuss ways the two systems could consolidate. And Waterville and Winslow officials discussed sharing a high school, though those discussions dissolved about a year ago.

Mitchell said the proposals share a lot of common ideas. She said she applauds Baldacci for proposing a bold solution that has so many people talking about school administration reform.

Douglas Rooks, project director for the Maine Children's Alliance and the author of that group's "A Case for Cooperation" report, which makes a case for improving education and reducing administrative costs through reform, said the alliance is very supportive of the governor's goals. But the group favors an approach providing more time for change to occur, and providing incentives for schools to join the effort to find savings.

"The governor's solution is not popular with some people because it forces people to change almost overnight," Rooks said. "If you make people do something, they won't like it. But if you provide incentives and engage them at the local level, maybe you'll have better results."

Rooks agrees with other proponents for reform that the time appears ripe for change.

"We don't know what form the resulting bill will take, but there is going to be one," Rooks said. "So many people are interested, I really think something will get done. The ingredients for success are there."

Keith Edwards -- 621-5647

kedwards@centralmaine.com