[Local-Maine-Schools] Press release: Department of Education rejects Mount Desert Island’s school plan

[Brian Hubbell]

Press Release


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Sunday, December 16, 2007
Contact: Gail Marshall, 244-7219, gmarshall at wildmoo.net

Department of Education rejects Mount Desert Island's school plan

BAR HARBOR -- This Saturday evening Mount Desert Island's school
Reorganization Planning Committee received written notice from
Commissioner Susan Gendron that the Department of Education is not
approving the reorganization plan submitted by the seven towns of MDI
and its outer islands.

One of approximately 80 submissions from regional planning committees
across the state responding to the school reorganization law passed
last June, MDI's plan represents a half year of collaboration between
Island school boards, municipal officials, state legislators, and
local citizens.

"Frankly, we're a little astonished," said Brian Hubbell, Bar Harbor
school board member and vice-chair of the RPC.  "Not only do we
believe the law supports what the RPC proposes but we also understood
through our legislators that we had the State's support on this as
well."

According to Saturday's letter from the Commissioner, the disapproval
centers around the plan's assigning substantial autonomy within the
new reorganized administrative unit to local school committees each
with authority over individual elementary schools.

"Our communities have clearly and consistently communicated to us the
importance of this," said Mount Desert school board member Gail
Marshall, chair of the RPC, "It's always been central and necessary to
our plan and our legislators certainly have always understood that
also."

Indeed, it was through the political negotiations of MDI's
representatives that two key amendments regarding local school
committees were made to the final version of the law:

Section 1478 of the law, regarding school governance, states without
restriction:

'A regional school unit board may create local school committees and
specify their powers and duties.'

And Section 1481, regarding school financing, states:

Notwithstanding any provisions of law to the contrary, a municipality
within a regional school unit may raise money and direct the spending
of the funds, to a school serving children from kindergarten to no
higher than grade 8.

"The Commissioner was at the table with us and our legislators when we
settled on this language." Ms. Marshall said.  "At that time, she said
the law, as written, offered no impediment to our plans.  If it had,
our legislators were committed to oppose it."

So, at this time, the matter has returned to Augusta for some
clarification.  The RPC has forwarded the Commissioner's letter to
MDI's legislative delegation.

"From the initial response from them this weekend, we gather that they
were as blindsided as we were," said Ms. Marshall.  "But our
legislators have been consistent allies and understand that the plan
represents the clear requirements of MDI's communities and that it is
the product of extensive efforts made in good faith by our officials
and citizens."

-30-

Attachments:
12/16/2007 MDI RPC press release
12/15/2007 letter from Commissioner Gendron to MDI RPC
12/16/2007 email from Majority Leader Hannah Pingree to Commissioner Gendron

____________________________________________________________________________________
Brian Hubbell
sparkflashgap at gmail.com
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