11/21/2007
So how did things go so wrong?
The answer is simple. We made it too complex. We made it too costly. We made it too fast. We mandated it. And we failed to get key constituencies on board.
Today, school consolidation is threatened by a citizen initiative to repeal it, legislative bills to scale it back, and the upcoming votes of Mainers who are likely to reject their new school districts.
Let's go back to the beginning and remind ourselves of what it was we agreed upon. Believe it or not, just a year ago it appeared that we could get this done with little pain and no agony.
The Brookings Institution's "Plan for Sustainable Prosperity and Quality Places," created for GrowSmart Maine, set our course with the following three very sensible recommendations:
n Reduce K-12 administrative expenditures to the vicinity of the national average of $195 per pupil, and save about $25 million.
n Fully pay for and enlarge the Fund for the Efficient Delivery of Education Services to promote voluntary collaborations between schools and districts to reduce K-12 costs.
n Appoint a high-level school district reorganization committee to substantially reduce the number of school administrative units.
This would have given us a thoughtful, collaborative, voluntary process to wring inefficiencies out of our school administrative structure and systems and encourage collaborations to reduce costs -- just the opposite of the chaotic, mandatory and hasty consolidation we're now suffering.
Perhaps most aggravating, this consolidation is likely to end up costing us more money, not less. Curriculums will have to be merged, with lots of new books and other material and teacher training. Teacher contracts will go up to the level of the highest contracts in the new districts. More principals will be hired. And the state's cuts in school aid in areas like transportation will shift more of the burden to the property tax.
Actually, it will be our property taxes that skyrocket because of this convoluted, poorly planned consolidation. Believe it or not, the state has already booked the savings on its side of the ledger!
Brookings clearly spelled out the problem, reporting, "Maine's schools and school districts employ an unusually large number of administrators and other non-instructional staffers whose presence drives up expenditures and suggests inefficiency. Maine's K-12 system employs, for example, one administrator for every 127 students, much higher than the average ratio of one to 212 and the nation's fourth-highest rate of administration." Likewise, Maine taxpayers support one school or district administrator for every 11.1 teachers -- the country's ninth highest number of administrators per teacher.
"Maine could realize between $10 million and $35 million in annual K-12 education-costs savings without closing or consolidating a single school by reducing administration costs to various national or Maine-consolidated-district standards," concluded Brookings.
The savings could be achieved without consolidation! And collaborative efforts between schools and districts could help reduce costs too -- without consolidation!
We're being force fed an unpleasant stew and it may be time to up chuck it all and start over.
The handwriting is certainly on the wall for my small town of Mount Vernon. On the huge new consolidated district school board, we'll be lucky to get one seat. There is no question that this mandatory consolidation scheme punishes rural Maine, just like the new state school funding formula does.
You remember rural Maine. It's where people used to live and work, where kids got good educations in small schools, where life was lived the way it should be.
Isn't it time to recognize that Maine has some great teachers? We ought to get out of their way and let them teach. Maine has the highest ratio of "other" payroll to instructional payroll, with $2.13 going to non-instructional payroll for every $1 going to instructional payroll. Don't blame teachers for this costly mess.
Public meetings are being held now to explain all of this to you. Please make a real effort to attend those meetings.
It's critical that you know all the impacts of consolidation -- because you're going to vote on it later. The consolidation plans must be submitted to the Department of Education by Dec. 1, with a response by Dec. 15. A referendum on the each plan must be held in effected communities starting on Jan. 15.
I can't wait to vote. How about you?
George Smith is executive director of the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine. He lives in Mount Vernon and can be reached at george@samcef.org.
Reader comments
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Why not just make this the law? So if any school district spends more than this per pupil, they receive no state funding. This simple solution will force districts to make administration more efficient while leaving all school districts, boards, teacher contracts, etc. intact.report abuse
Many communities will see taxes go UP as a result of consolidation!!! so much for efficiencies translating into tax savings.
The state wants to save money on schools simply to spend it elsewhere---LIKE those bonds we just passed.
Look at the BIG picture of the Brookings plan( George)saving here to spent there. It's basically robin hood-- steal from some to give to others ---from the schools TO the business community for research and development...etc
Commentator---
consolidation of jails wouldn't and won't happen because of THAT outcry. Why isn't the Governor calling them a "special interest group"?
The state who wants to consolidate school to the tune of $35 million---couldn't manage to "consolidate" their own budget to find a mere $10 million.
My question is why is it ONLY schools being asked to "pay the price".
Why didn't we instead consider eliminating BETR? to save $70 million instead of $35 milion? GASP---because the GOVERNOR and legislature is REALLY afraid of THAT special interest group and the Chamber.
The conservative right like to push a "reduce spending" agenda so long as it isn't "spending" on them that is eliminated...
The latest report of a 95 million deficit seems it is coming from loss in corporate taxes and sales taxes --the rest of us are paying our fair share!! Apparently those business subsidies aren't working-- so get get rid of them and save us $70 million.
LLBean had their best year EVER for sales ---hitting the billion dollar mark... and yet sorp taxes are down? I think someone needs to start looking at Maine businesses "books". I think they are short changing us.report abuse
The sky is not falling and our schools will not be closed en masse because of the consolidation of districts.
The fact remains: consolidation of school districts would never happen if left up to the existing school boards. At best, they would share a superintendent who would use most of his/her time running to meet the separate demands of four or five school boards- talk about wasted time and energy.
I'm perfectly happy with the State regulating the size of school districts (the State is the principal arbiter of education in Maine by the way, not municipalities, read article VIII of the constitution). Considering that the State will be footing 55% of the bill (at some point), it's perfectly reasonable that Augusta should have a say in the institutions in which it's being spent.
Since "local control" is a rallying cry for those supporting the status quo, perhaps someone would care to define it. I know of some municipalities that have neighborhoods that wish to have more local control. Just how small a jurisdiction does one need to feel in "control"? And how much is one willing to pay for such luxury?
The fact remains: Unless Augusta stepped in and mandated change, the expensive status quo would remain and we'd be again arguing about the same problem years from now.report abuse
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