[Local-Maine-Schools] One article you might not see on MDISchools.net

Fri Apr 11 14:35:09 EDT 2008

The Mount Desert Islander came out Wednesday night with an excellent 
article on one aspect of the school consolidation battle that has 
received only brief (though generally loud and acclaiming) nods so far. 
  One can hope the article will be referenced in the news section on the 
http://mdischools.net page, for it is a key to understanding the degree 
of success opponents of consolidation have had in both extracting the 
truth from the clouds of misinformation being thrown around on the 
issue, and then in promulgating that truth.

In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy looked behind the scenes and found the 
Wizard to be a charlatan.  In this case, however, article author Oka 
Hutchins looked behind the scenes in Augusta and MDI and found.... a 
real wizard (working with two particularly trusty henchpeople, and, 
though not mentioned in the article, backed by a super super*********).

For the record, in case this article doesn't make it into the 
MDISchools.net archives, here it is:

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Hubbell at center of union debate
Oka Hutchins
April 11, 2008
Mt. Desert Islander
http://mdislander.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5592&Itemid=36

    Bar Harbor School Board member Brian Hubbell has used e-mail
    programs and a Web site to help keep opponents of school district
    consolidation all over Maine connected. -- OKA HUTCHINS PHOTO
http://mdislander.com/site/images/stories/news/2008/04/041008-hubbell-288.jpg

BAR HARBOR -- Brian Hubbell sits on his sun porch Tuesday afternoon, 
quietly considering a call he received earlier from Maine Commissioner 
of Education Susan Gendron.

"She says she wants to work with us, but I've heard that before. Quite 
honestly I'm getting a little tired of it," he said.

Clad in weathered orange crocks and a tweed jacket, Mr. Hubbell is 
relaxed but alert to the laptop computer that rests on his knees.

For the past 15 months, he has dedicated countless hours advocating for 
local schools and compiling information about Gov. John Baldacci's 
sweeping school district consolidation legislation. Since the 
legislation -- requiring the 290 school districts across the state to 
consolidate to about 80 -- was introduced, Mount Desert Island 
legislators and educators have been involved in an all-out conflict with 
the state. "This is my first foray into politics but from what I hear 
this situation is just unbelievable," said Mr. Hubbell.

Most days he wakes up at 4 a.m. "I get up pretty early, so I get a 
couple of quiet hours to dedicate to things that are made possible just 
by coffee, time, and silence," he said.

By the time the alarm rings for his wife and daughter just before 7 
a.m., he has already read and compiled the latest news reports on school 
consolidation and updated the legislative links on the comprehensive 
consolidation Web site he created and vigilantly maintains, 
mdischools.net. The site has become the go-to resource regarding 
consolidation for legislators, educators and interested citizens across 
the state.

"With his Web site Brian has provided the central nervous system of our 
fight to maintain the quality of our schools and communities. His 
even-handed approach has earned the respect of individuals even within 
the Department of Education," said Mount Desert Island High School Board 
Chairwoman Gail Marshall.

"I only wish that they were inspired to emulate him. Our educational 
system in this state would be far better for it."

As a father of a sixth-grader at Conners-Emerson Elementary School, it 
was a natural choice for him to serve on his local school board, said 
Mr. Hubbell. He also sits on the School Union 98 and Mount Desert Island 
High School boards.

When he isn't logging hours in support of education, Mr. Hubbell, an 
architect by trade, works in construction management and freelances as a 
technical writer. He also sits on the editorial board of the Beloit 
Poetry Journal.

Despite his massive time commitments, Mr. Hubbell still finds time to 
run competitively, something he has always been passionate about. Just 
last week competed in the Masters Indoor Track National Championships in 
Boston, where he won his heat in the 800-kilometer race.

Fueled by caffeine, distance running and the support of local educators, 
Mr. Hubbell has stayed on top of the ever-changing situation in Augusta, 
his familial obligations and his several careers. He maximizes his time 
through the use of the Web and e-mail.

"Some days corresponding with legislators, our local board members, and 
others from around the state does seem to overtake most other work. But 
that's part of the magic of the Web and e-mail -- it allows one to 
appear to be simultaneously productive on many fronts," he said.

"If and when this battle ever ends, I am not sure what I am going to 
read with my coffee every morning," said Ms. Marshall.

"The view of the landscape of school reorganization in Maine is in many 
ways clearer the further one is from Augusta. The legislators have on 
the whole figured that out -- I'm not sure the governor has yet," said 
Mr. Hubbell.

Most recently, local educators and legislators were able to push an 
amendment designed to preserve the union structure of governance favored 
by area educators through the House and the Senate, only to see it 
vetoed by the governor on Monday. In her recent talks with Mr. Hubbell, 
Ms. Gendron indicated the state's desire to come to compromise about 
governance structure with Mount Desert Island towns. The state, however, 
doesn't want other districts to have that option, Mr. Hubbell said.

It would be impossible to quantify the time that Mr. Hubbell has 
dedicated to issues surrounding school consolidation. While the state 
Legislature is in session, he makes the two-hour drive each way to 
Augusta at least once a week. He estimates that during session weeks he 
has spent about 20 hours of dedicated time on consolidation, not to 
mention his service to various school boards and his morning sessions.

Mr. Hubbell credits the school staff, other parents, the town council, 
local legislators and his fellow board members, particularly Paul Murphy 
and Gail Marshall, for keeping him stimulated and motivated.

"I can't imagine two more effective partners than Gail and Paul and all 
I can say is that it's been a privilege to work with such sharp and able 
people," he said.

In addition to the support he has enjoyed locally, Mr. Hubbell regularly 
receives appreciative e-mails from people across the state regarding his 
Web site. The site gets anywhere from 500 to 800 page views each day, 
with more e-mails during times of activity in the Legislature.

"Sometimes it's a little odd to see people in the State House conferring 
with charts and papers that they've printed off the site. But as long as 
people like that are finding the information useful, I'll feel compelled 
to keep coordinating and compiling it," he said.

He hopes his work will continue to help uphold Mount Desert Island's 
legacy of commitment to the value of quality education. He cites an 
idealistic group of Bar Harbor citizens as the impetus for that desire. 
After World War I, the group presented an argument that future wars 
could be prevented only through better education.

"Toward this end, they persuaded the town significantly to increase 
spending for teachers' salaries to draw the best possible talent to the 
local schools, setting in place a policy that, in many ways, is still 
recognizable nearly a hundred years later," he said. "All I want to do 
is carry on one share of that particular legacy."