Portal
Home
Calendar
Gallery
FAQ
Search
Register
Log in5 consolidation plans rejected , 12 OK’d
Page 1 of 1•
5 consolidation plans rejected , 12 OK’d
by Outspoken on Thu Nov 06, 2008 6:50 am
5 consolidation plans rejected , 12 OK’d
By Rich Hewitt
Staff Writer Bangor Daily News
Of the 18 school reorganization plans up for votes around the state during Tuesday’s balloting, voters in affected districts approved 12 plans and rejected five, including three in Aroostook County. One plan involving SAD 37 in Washington County received partial approval, and a vote by other plan participants is scheduled for later this month.
The approved plans will consolidate 42 school districts into 12 reorganized units.
Voters in the St. John Valley, however, overwhelmingly rejected a plan for an alternative organizational structure.
“My sense is people do not want to give up local control,” Dr. Patrick O’Neill, SAD 27 superintendent, said Wednesday afternoon.
O’Neill said he believed officials in Augusta could have done a better job of explaining the legislation mandating the reorganization before districts began addressing the issues at home.
There simply was not enough time, the superintendent said, to come up with a new plan and explain the rationale behind it.
“In essence this was a rush job,” O’Neill said. “And this is what happens when you rush a job.”
Department of Education spokesman David Connerty-Marin said, “The process worked the way it was supposed to. People got to vote on locally crafted reorganization plans, and two-thirds of them voted yes.”
Education Commissioner Susan Gendron said the votes represent an important step in “improving efficiency, stream-lining operations and generating savings that will help preserve quality instructional programs.”
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/92721.html
By Rich Hewitt
Staff Writer Bangor Daily News
Of the 18 school reorganization plans up for votes around the state during Tuesday’s balloting, voters in affected districts approved 12 plans and rejected five, including three in Aroostook County. One plan involving SAD 37 in Washington County received partial approval, and a vote by other plan participants is scheduled for later this month.
The approved plans will consolidate 42 school districts into 12 reorganized units.
Voters in the St. John Valley, however, overwhelmingly rejected a plan for an alternative organizational structure.
“My sense is people do not want to give up local control,” Dr. Patrick O’Neill, SAD 27 superintendent, said Wednesday afternoon.
O’Neill said he believed officials in Augusta could have done a better job of explaining the legislation mandating the reorganization before districts began addressing the issues at home.
There simply was not enough time, the superintendent said, to come up with a new plan and explain the rationale behind it.
“In essence this was a rush job,” O’Neill said. “And this is what happens when you rush a job.”
Department of Education spokesman David Connerty-Marin said, “The process worked the way it was supposed to. People got to vote on locally crafted reorganization plans, and two-thirds of them voted yes.”
Education Commissioner Susan Gendron said the votes represent an important step in “improving efficiency, stream-lining operations and generating savings that will help preserve quality instructional programs.”
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/92721.html
"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything."
Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
