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Log inConsolidation likely to be hot-button item in winter
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Consolidation likely to be hot-button item in winter
by Outspoken on Mon Nov 10, 2008 5:01 am
Consolidation likely to be hot-button item in winter
BY MATTHEW STONE
Staff Writer Morning Sentinel
Maine education observers predict the state's school district consolidation law will be the subject of heated debate when legislators convene their 2009 session this winter.
But an effort under way to repeal the mandate could complicate efforts to amend portions of the law.
When a new Legislature arrives in Augusta this winter, members will spend much of their time debating adjustments to the original consolidation law, said Douglas Rooks, education project director at Maine Children's Alliance.
"There are going to be a lot of districts looking for options and that needs to be dealt with," said Rooks, who has written widely about the state's consolidation mandate. "This is going to be a major focus of debate in the Legislature next year."
On Tuesday, voters weighed in on 18 plans for district mergers, rejecting five of them.
When voters decide on 22 more proposed district mergers in December and January, additional reasons for revising the consolidation law are likely to come up, University of Maine Education Professor Gordon Donaldson said.
"I think a lot of people think that there can be some benefit from some forms of regionalization," he said. "What I'm hearing is a lot of people thinking there weren't enough choices for people reasonably to come up with solutions to save money, improve schools and sustain community."
As legislators consider amendments to the consolidation mandate, however, they risk their revisions not becoming part of the law until after November 2009.
Advocates who favor repealing the consolidation law submitted signatures to the Secretary of State's office in October, hoping to force a ballot question before voters in November 2009. The Secretary of State will determine whether the signatures are valid by the end of February.
http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/5591666.html
BY MATTHEW STONE
Staff Writer Morning Sentinel
Maine education observers predict the state's school district consolidation law will be the subject of heated debate when legislators convene their 2009 session this winter.
But an effort under way to repeal the mandate could complicate efforts to amend portions of the law.
When a new Legislature arrives in Augusta this winter, members will spend much of their time debating adjustments to the original consolidation law, said Douglas Rooks, education project director at Maine Children's Alliance.
"There are going to be a lot of districts looking for options and that needs to be dealt with," said Rooks, who has written widely about the state's consolidation mandate. "This is going to be a major focus of debate in the Legislature next year."
On Tuesday, voters weighed in on 18 plans for district mergers, rejecting five of them.
When voters decide on 22 more proposed district mergers in December and January, additional reasons for revising the consolidation law are likely to come up, University of Maine Education Professor Gordon Donaldson said.
"I think a lot of people think that there can be some benefit from some forms of regionalization," he said. "What I'm hearing is a lot of people thinking there weren't enough choices for people reasonably to come up with solutions to save money, improve schools and sustain community."
As legislators consider amendments to the consolidation mandate, however, they risk their revisions not becoming part of the law until after November 2009.
Advocates who favor repealing the consolidation law submitted signatures to the Secretary of State's office in October, hoping to force a ballot question before voters in November 2009. The Secretary of State will determine whether the signatures are valid by the end of February.
http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/5591666.html
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Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
