[Local-Maine-Schools] What to say to legislators?

[Brian Hubbell]

Okay, in case some of you really are cracking your knuckles this
morning over your keyboards, but still undecided about what to say,
here -- strictly from my own point of view -- are some possible
suggestions.  Please reply with your own.

1) Here on MDI at least, the existing local town boards, in regional
cooperation as a school union structure, work effectively.  The proof
is that are schools, by any measure, are excellent.

2) As our schools are excellent, over many years, the existing
relationships between school boards, teachers, administrators and
taxpayers have created extraordinary collaborative trust.  This has
real value.

3) No one better knows our schools than the people here who are
presently committed to them.  For good reasons, we seriously doubt
that our schools would be better or more responsibly cared for under
any other administrative structure.

4) Therefore, we can not support any legislative directive that
dissolves our current school administrative units and replaces it with
a larger regional structure.

5) However, our primary interest is always in improving the quality of
education in our schools. So, we can state that we will never be
close-minded to ideas that might effect that goal.

6) In that spirit, we are open to any opportunities to explore
self-directed collaborations among other similarly-minded communities
statewide that might effectively improve education.

7) There is nothing to lose and likely much to gain from collaborative
discussions with other similarly-minded schools across the state,
independent of geographical proximity.

8) And, as long as the local excellence of our schools is not
diminished, we would participate willingly in any larger cooperative
organizations to realize cost-savings.

9) In this regard, the cost of health care in particular seems
appropriate common ground.

Okay.  There's an opening for discussion.  Have at it.

--Brian