[Local-Maine-Schools] Proposal (FWD from Skip Greenlaw)

[Brian Hubbell]

From: "skipgreenlaw" <skipg at hypernet.com>
To: "RICHARD GOULD" <perf3170rag at verizon.net>, "List local maine
schools" <local-maine-schools at lists.svaha.com>
Date: Thu, 31 May 2007 22:25:05 -0400
Subject: Re: Proposal
Good evening, Dick and others,

I have not been able to read the consolidation legislation because I
cannot access the website and for some reason I cannot download the
MSMA website copy.  I did read in the Bangor Deadly this morning that
the Governor, the Maine Coalition for Education Excellence, and some
others endorsed the Appropriations Committee plan yesterday.  All I
needed to read is that there will be minimum districts of 2500
students and no more than 80 districts.  I wish I was privy to the
discussions which the Appropriations Committee had to understand what
is going on.  What happened to all the good faith negotiations with
the Rural Caucus?  Can the legislative leadership really believe that
they can ram this down the collective throats of the members of the
legislature?

I think that the Small Schools Coalition, the Rural Caucus, MSMA, and
others have worked long and hard to make creative suggestions and
bring some common sense to this debate.  Alas, all that effort for
naught.  It seems as if we and the legislators are operating in two
different worlds.  When Dick, Scott, Bob Webster, and I met with
Senator Mitchell last week, she made an oblique reference to the fact
that we (the school community) had done nothing to affect
consolidation.  I was taken aback by her comment.  What had I missed?
I asked Dale Douglass if  the Legislature had asked anyone to begin
consolidation work.  He said the only bill re: consolidation had been
Senator John Martin's bill to have one Supt in Aroostook County.  That
bill never got even one vote in the Education Committee. I wish I
understood what I don't know.  (That makes a lot of sense, doesn't
it!!)

I hope everyone reads the story on pages 1 and 4 of Section B in
today's Bangor Daily News.  I love Peter Geiger's comments:  "We
cannot afford another task force to study this".  James Carnignan,
Chair of the State Board of Education said: "What we have now is
unsustainable".  Of course, all the business leaders know so much
about school admin costs, and besides that, they think it is the most
burning issue of state government today.   Then, when all else fails,
throw in some false information, to wit:  "Since 1978, the number of
students attending Maine schools has declined by 16 percent while the
number of administrators, not including superintendents, has grown by
54 percent".  I had Dept of Education figures in front of me at one
point.  In 1980, there were 225,000 students in public schools; now
there are 200,000.  That's a 9% decrease not 16% and not 25% as Todd
Benoit stated in an editorial in January.  Does anyone know if the
number of administrators, excluding superintendents, has grown by 54%
since 1978?  SU 76 added a Special Education Director in the late 80s
and an Asst Supt in the late 90s.

I have two more things to offer, and then I am going to bed so I can
be in Sin City by noon tomorrow to attend the Rural Caucus meeting.
Dick, you said in your e-mail that we had to make up our own minds
about how this affects our district.  What happened to rally the
troops and descend on Augusta as you suggested one time?  This is not
the time to be timid.  It is the time for action!!!  Do you have an
Executive Committee, which makes decisions for the group?  I recommend
that you put your heads together, and I hope that you come to the
conclusion that you ask members of the Coalition (I'm not referring to
"Education Excellence"; I am referring to "Small Schools") to go to
Augusta next Monday or Tuesday (whenever the Legislature convenes
again) and urge all legislators to vote against the Part I budget
until school consolidation comes out of the budget document.  Or poll
all members this weekend and go by majority vote.  If the Coalition
doesn't take a strong and vocal stand now, there isn't any need for
the Coalition.

For my very good friend, Dale Douglass, who has been more than
generous with his time to talk with me when I called him many times
since January:   As Executive Director of the School Boards Assn and
the Supts Assoc, I hope you will assume the role of being the primary
spokesman against this madness now that the cat is out of the bag.
There needs to be a news conference Monday to respond to the
misinformation and to try to set the record straight.  I'll help you
all weekend long if need be.  We need to say, "yes, we concur that we
need to work hard to bring about savings in school administration and
other areas of school expenditures, but don't mandate something, which
no one has any idea whether or not it will generate any savings."  We
need to generate some press so that the public will become energized
and ask their legislators to vote against this mess.  Not to toot my
own horn, but I have had many comments from people who read the letter
to the editor in the BDN I wrote about 55% not being attainable this
biennium.  People tell me that they understood what I was saying and
agreed with it.  There are lots of people out there in this great
State of Maine, I believe, who are waiting to hear some leadership on
this issue.  Unfortunately, that leadership is not going to come from
any legislator.  So, shall we collectively rise to the occasion?  If
not you, Dale, then who?  You need to amass as many school board
members in one place as possible.

Thank you, everyone, for taking the time to read my much too long
e-mail.  Dick, you know how much I appreciate what you have done.  I
do not mean to be critical or ungrateful, but there are only a very
few days left to defeat this mess.  I believe in my heart of hearts
that our actions are to support what we have all accomplished for our
students over the past years and not let the State tear it apart
because they have financial problems.

Bob Webster, our super SU 76 Superintendent, has a book of quotes from
which he shares a lot of wonderful wisdom.  On May 17, he wrote at the
bottom of an e-mail,  "To know what is right and not do it is the
worst form of cowardice"- Confucius.  That says it all.

Sincerely,
Skip Greenlaw-  cell 460-1260, home phone- 367-2738