[Local-Maine-Schools] Fwd: Copy of letter to local state representatives

[Gail Marshall]

Begin forwarded message:

>
>
> A letter to our state legislators from our principal, forwarded to  
> you by permission.
> Gail
>
>>
>> Dear Dennis, Ted and Hannah,
>>
>> I have been carefully monitoring the recent work sessions that  
>> both the
>> education and appropriations committees (and subcommittees) have been
>> involved with. Now that the appropriations subcommittee seems to  
>> have a head
>> of steam and are seemingly headed in a direction that deeply  
>> concerns me, I
>> am prompted to write you to voice my opposition to any plan that  
>> forces
>> consolidation, ends school unions and restricts local control. As  
>> you may
>> know, the amount of school subsidy that we receive from the state  
>> is a
>> minimal amount of money, compared to other schools and the current  
>> structure
>> of our school union provides us with a mechanism of local control  
>> that is
>> essential to maintaining the services that we provide for our  
>> students.
>> Though Mt. Desert is known as a rich community, I can assure you  
>> that we are
>> far from being a school loaded with frills and money to burn. What  
>> we are,
>> is a school that exists in a community that values their children  
>> and are
>> willing to make the necessary sacrifices to provide the key  
>> ingredients
>> essential to the education of the whole child including, but not  
>> limited to
>> strong academics, co-curricular activities, fine arts experiences and
>> special services such as counseling and adaptive physical  
>> education that are
>> making a huge impact on our students at need. My fear is that we  
>> will be
>> mandated to follow a plan that removes this local control,  
>> relegates our
>> future to people outside of our community  and subsequently will  
>> result in
>> the loss of the services that make us one of the top schools in  
>> the state.
>> It is my opinion that what we have works for us and that a local
>> contribution of a little over 1 mill for education is not a burden  
>> on the
>> local tax payers. I AM fully in favor of a plan that will identify  
>> schools
>> at need and provide the necessary resources for those schools without
>> compromising the integrity and quality of those model schools such as
>> ourselves. This should not be a question of how we change the  
>> system for
>> everyone, rather it should be about identifying and correcting  
>> those that
>> need the proper interventions.
>>
>> Regarding EPS, I recently did a  calculation of what our school  
>> would look
>> like using the EPS figures as a budget, without the opportunity  
>> for raising
>> any additional funds locally as we do now. We would become a  
>> school with
>> several multi-age classrooms with student numbers in the 30's,  
>> specialists
>> would be reduced to part -time/some positions eliminated, and  
>> French would
>> no longer be offered along with possibly Reading Recovery. For the  
>> life of
>> me I cannot figure out how the EPS formula works for small school  
>> such as
>> MDES. I do hear the folks in Augusta mention that EPS was not  
>> meant to
>> represent what an actual budget should be, but with talk of  
>> limiting raising
>> funds above and beyond EPS or requiring a 2/3rd's vote via a  
>> referendum, it
>> could very well result in a school having to operate at this  
>> level. This
>> would result in a catastrophic decrease in the quality of our  
>> school and
>> believe me that I am far from being an alarmist. I feel that I  
>> cannot stand
>> by and watch idly any plan developed that would dismantle the quality
>> educational system that we have in place, especially in light of  
>> how these
>> decisions are being made in such an arbitrary fashion. It has been  
>> mentioned
>> that the only ones that have been making a stink about all of these
>> consolidation plans are us self- serving educators. I am sorry but  
>> the terms
>> self-serving and educators do not belong in the same company,  
>> rather we are
>> passionate advocates for our children whose future is at stake over
>> decisions that are being made behind closed doors and at a speed that
>> precludes the chance of a thoughtful, constructive, well planned
>> intervention to the state's financial issues. Please, please be a  
>> strong
>> advocate for our needs!! It seems that none of us have a voice in  
>> these
>> decisions and that you are our only hope for the preservation of  
>> school
>> union #98 and for all that we proudly represent.Thank you for your
>> attention.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>>
>> Scott D. McFarland
>> Principal
>> Mount Desert Elementary School
>> P.O.Box 308
>> Northeast Harbor, Maine 04662
>> School Telephone: 207-276-3348
>> Cell: 266-4538
>> email: smcfarland at u98.k12.me.us
>>
>>
>>
>