[Local-Maine-Schools] Reorganization Planning Committees

[Phil Worden]

This is very helpful.  Two thoughts: 1) local school board members are municipal officials, eg Tremont's School Board are the municipal officials Tremont has picked to represent it on school matters (this is not without controversy but should be worth fighting for); and 2) DoE should go through rule-making procedures to insure public participation when it develops its policies about RPCs; it can't just do this in a back room in Augusta and then hand the policies down by fiat to the districts.  Phil




> ------------Original Message------------
> From: Dick Atlee <atlee at umd.edu>
> To: "Local Maine Schools List" <local-maine-schools at mainetalk.org>
> Date: Thu, Jun-7-2007 2:09 PM
> Subject: [Local-Maine-Schools] Reorganization Planning Committees
>
> Someone wrote asking how Regional Planning Committees are formed.  My 
> mistake -- they're actually called Reorganization Planning Committees.
> 
> As a result of what I've seen in the public dialog leading up to the 
> situation we are in, I believe it is important to be familiar with the 
> bill's actual language, rather than relying on what someone claims that 
> 
> it says.  I believe Local-Maine-Schools is one way to make that 
> information available in a useful form.  Hence this note.
> 
> The RPC's are mentioned in two (and only two) places in the bill -- 
> both 
> long sections on the planning for and creation of Regional School Units 
> 
> (RSUs).  Both of these sections contain much similar material, and I 
> admit to uncertainty about the difference in their respective function. 
> 
>   Someone else may be able to clarify that.
> 
> There is also a section on the DoE's role, which, though it doesn't 
> mention RPCs explicitly, describes what the DoE is supposed to do in 
> the 
> process that, among other things, will develop the RPCs.
> 
> So, for those who are interested, or may be taking a role in this whole 
> 
> process, I've copied below the parts of the two sections that mention 
> RPCs, preceded by a Timeline for context and the section on the DoE's 
> role.  [I've included a few clarifying comments in brackets.]  I hope 
> the material will be of use in this form.
> 
> NOTE: The perhaps most important aspect of the RPCs is that they are to 
> 
> be composed of representatives of three groups of people:
> 
>   1. School officials
>   2. Municipal officials
>   3. General public
> 
> but how these are to be chosen doesn't seem to be specified in the 
> language.
> 
> --------------------
> 
> Timeline context
>    [July 1 (presumably): the DoE begins to cover the state, holding
>     meetings to help units plan for consolidation.]
>    August 31: deadline for each existing school admin unit to submit 
> plan
>    September 15: deadline for Commissioner to respond
>    [Based on the fact that RPCs follow the notice-of-intent-to-
>     consolidate, and must create a plan, they presumably are formed
>     and operate during this period.]
>    December 15: final plan submitted
> 
> --------------------
> 
> Sec. XXXX-36. Role of the Department of Education.
> [This presumably occurs between July 1 and August 31, and would 
> influence the setting up of RPC's, among other things.]
> In order to provide for the orderly implementation of this Part, the 
> Department of Education shall:
> 
>    1. Prepare models. Prepare one or more models for the reorganization 
> 
> of school administrative units in existence on the effective date of 
> this Part, consistent with the provisions of section 35, subsection 1;
> 
>    2. Assist in collection and presentation of data. Assist all of the 
> governing bodies of school administrative units in existence on the 
> effective date of this Part in the collection and presentation of data 
> pertinent to the charge established by this Part;
> 
>    3. Assist in meetings and caucuses. Assist in the organization of 
> the 
> meetings and caucuses convened by the governing bodies of the school 
> administrative units in existence on the effective date of this Part to 
> 
> prepare reorganization plans as provided in subsection 1;
> 
>    4. Provide facilitation services. Make available, upon request, 
> facilitation services to the governing bodies of the school 
> administrative units in existence on the effective date of this Part to 
> 
> ensure the ability of those school administrative units to fulfill the 
> charges required by this Part; [plus a couple of others unrelated to 
> this specific topic]
> 
> --------------------
> 
> Section XXXX-13
> Subchapter 2 -- FORMATION OF REGIONAL SCHOOL UNIT
> § 1461.  Formation of a regional school unit; reorganization planning 
> and approval
> 
>    1.  Notice of intent.  Each school administrative unit shall file 
> with the commissioner a notice of intent to engage in planning and 
> negotiations with other school administrative units for the purpose of 
> developing a reorganization plan to form a regional school unit under 
> this chapter. The commissioner shall respond to each notice of intent 
> providing information regarding the process and whether the intended 
> action complies with the requirements of this chapter. [see Timeline]
> 
>    2. Reorganization planning committee.  The school administrative 
> units that intend to engage in planning and negotiation to create a 
> regional school unit shall form a reorganization planning committee.
> 
>       A. For each proposed regional school unit, the commissioner shall 
> 
> provide guidelines for the formation of a reorganization planning 
> committee including representation from the school administrative units 
> 
> included in the notice of intent, member municipalities and members of 
> the general public who are residents of the proposed regional school 
> unit. The guidelines must include roles and responsibilities of the 
> committee, timelines for submission of the plan, the format for 
> reporting the reorganization plan and evaluation criteria for approval 
> of the plan.
> 
>       B. Reorganization planning committees shall hold one or more 
> public meetings to gather input from community members and to determine 
> 
> the sentiment of the public.
> 
>    5. [Additional mention -- the RPC is referred to in the ballot 
> language of the referendum for approving a new RSU, simply as having 
> prepared the plan.]
> 
> --------------------
> 
> Section XXXX-35 Legislative Intent and Policy...
> 
>    3. Reorganization planning committee. Municipalities that intend to 
> engage in planning and negotiation to create a regional school unit 
> shall form a reorganization planning committee.
> 
>       A. For each proposed regional school unit, the Commissioner of 
> Education shall provide guidelines for the formation of a 
> reorganization 
> planning committee including representation from the school 
> administrative units in existence on the effective date of this Part, 
> member municipalities and members of the general public who are 
> residents of the proposed regional school unit. The guidelines must 
> include roles and responsibilities of the committee, timelines for 
> submission of the plan, the format for reporting the reorganization 
> plan 
> and evaluation criteria for approval of the plan.
> 
>       B. Reorganization planning committees shall hold one or more 
> public meetings to gather input from community members and to determine 
> 
> the sentiment of the public...
> 
>    8. [Additional mention -- the RPC is referred to in the ballot 
> language of the referendum for approving a new RSU, simply as having 
> prepared the plan.]
> 
> --------------------
> 
> That's it, as far as I can tell.  All conclusions about RPCs must be 
> drawn from this and whatever else the Commissioner tells the existing 
> districts.
> 
> Dick
> 
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