By KEITH EDWARDS
Staff Writer Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Subcommittee members reporting their recommendations to the full Appropriations Committee on Monday said the plan would create districts of at least 2,500 students each and save $36.5 million in 2009 -- savings they expect to be ongoing.

"We need to find predictable and sustainable funding for education in this state in order for our kids to get the education they deserve," said Sen. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston, chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee.

The savings are projected to come from administrative savings, special education, building and facilities maintenance, and transportation.

Unlike Gov. John Baldacci's controversial school district consolidation proposal, the subcommittee's plan does not choose which existing school units would be grouped into larger, consolidated districts.

Instead, the plan directs the Department of Education and Commissioner Susan Gendron to present by June 30 one or more models on which to base grouping schools into districts.

The proposed new districts would be formed on factors including physical proximity to each other, demographics and population density, and maximizing existing collaborations.

Subcommittee leader Rep. Emily Cain, D-Orono, said officials from districts already working together, or that would like to consolidate with each other, should let the Department of Education know, as they would be more likely to end up together in the same district.

After the Department of Education releases its recommended potential new school districts, temporary "realignment steering committees" would be formed to get on with the work of actually creating the new districts.

The steering committees would be made up of local community members, although the plan presented Monday did not specify how members would be selected.

Subcommittee member Rep. Sawin Millett Jr., R-Waterford, said the plan was intentionally left without some details, to provide flexibility for the Department of Education and local residents to determine what would work best in each part of the state.

"It is a design model that anyone who wishes to find fault with has plenty of places to go," Millett said. "We think we've made it as workable as possible. But it works best if people roll up their sleeves and get to work as soon as we adopt it."

The proposal is now in the hands of the full Appropriations Committee. It also needs approval from the full Legislature and Baldacci.

Exceptions would be made to the 2,500 student minimum in, for example, rural districts where it might not be practical to create a district that large.

Cain noted school systems that already have more than 2,500 students would still be required to participate in the consolidation process and join with other school systems to seek savings through increased efficiency.

"There will be very few left standing alone," she said.

Part of the subcommittee plan that hasn't been finalized yet might give every voter in the state a chance to vote on their local school budget. The committee is hoping to create a statewide school budget format and force the new regional school districts to get their budgets approved by their citizens in a clearly-written ballot.

Appropriations Committee member Rep. Patrick Flood, R-Winthrop, said he had some concerns about the plan's aggressive timeline but felt it's a good plan overall.

"I don't believe we're doing anything here to damage the education our kids receive," he said.

Keith Edwards -- 621-5647

kedwards@centralmaine.com