[Local-Maine-Schools] (Skip Greenlaw) YEAS/NAYS/UNDECIDED on repeal

[Susan Whitby]

I called Ted back in early November to ask him why he didn't support the repeal of  the school consolidation law.  He felt that it was an unpleasant, but necessary step so the State could reduce the amount it spends on schools, since this is an ever-increasing percentage of the yearly budget, despite dwindling enrollments.  He talked about huge school organizational changes that have happened historically Maine, and how they are always painful and unpopular.  

I tried to present him with some of the extremely negative impacts that the law was going to have on some schools.  He seemed not to have a great deal of sympathy for MDI's plight, and felt that local school decision-making powers were not in the best interest of the communities as a whole,  but was concerned about schools like Trenton and Lamoine, due to the fact that raising teacher salaries there were going to have a devastating effect on the school budgets there.  He did suggest that perhaps school mergers were an unpleasant, but cost-effective solution to some of these situations down the road.

Dick Atlee <atlee at umd.edu> wrote: This is Skip Greenlaw's census of House sentiment on repeal (I've 
reformatted it into a single column for email).  I'm personally curious 
as to why people like Ted Koffman are against it.  Does anyone have any 
thoughts on this they could share with the list?

Admittedly, a huge amount of work has gone into this on the part of 
RPC's, but even if the law were repealed, if an RPC felt the results of 
their work was better than what they had before, they could continue on 
track -- as I recall, whatever help the DoE was going to provide for 
this process has been pretty well expended by now, anyway.  For existing 
SAD's, repeal wouldn't seem to make any difference one way or the other. 
  But it makes a huge difference for the communities who are suffering 
under the potential effects of the law, in many cases even with the new 
mods that will probably survive a veto.

So what I'm wondering is whether anyone can provide a non-DoE rationale 
for why the law shouldn't simply be repealed.  Is there any reason that 
we all shouldn't be lobbying our reps to make a repeal bill veto-proof?

Dick

-------- Original Message --------
Subject:  YEAS/NAYS/UNDECIDED
Date:  Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:37:12 -0400
From:  skipgreenlaw 
To:  skipgreenlaw 

Good morning everyone,

Here is a list of the legislators who have indicated how they will vote
on repeal of the school consolidation law.   YEA means they will vote to
repeal;  NAY means that they will _not_ vote to repeal;  UNDECIDED means
just that or in some cases may mean they don't want to tell us.  This
list is comprised of members of the House of Representatives.
After their name R= Republican, D=Democrat, U= unenrolled


YEAS (26)

Peter Edgecomb, R-Caribou
Jacqueline Lundeen, D-Mars Hill
Richard Cleary, D-Houlton
Henry Joy, R-Crystal
Hebert Clark, D-Millinocket
Jeffrey Gifford, R-Lincoln
Benjamin Pratt, D-Eddington
Christian Greeley, R-Levant
Peter Johnson, R-Greenville
Howard McFadden, R-Dennysville
Robert Eaton, D-Sullivan
James Schatz, D-Blue Hill
Robert Crosthwaite, R-Ellsworth
Lance Weddell, D-Frankfort
Michael Thibodeau, R-Winterport
Wendy Pieh, D-Bremen
Kenneth Fletcher, R-Winslow
W. Bruce MacDonald, D-Boothbay
Philip Curtis, R-Madison
Tom Savielo, U-Wilton
John Patrick, D-Rumford
Roberta Muse, R-Fryeburg
Gary Moore, R-Standish
Susan Austin, R-Gray
Sarah Lewin, R-Eliot
Windol Weaver, R-York

NAYS (18)

Troy Dale Jackson, D-Allagash
Jeremy Fischer, D- Presque Isle
Sean Faircloth, D-Bangor
Emily Cain, D-Orono
Joshua Tardy, R-Newport
Thedore Koffman, D-Bar Harbor
Jayne Crosby Giles, R-Belfast
Christopher Rector, R-Thomaston
Elizabeth Miller, D-Somerville
Charles Priest, D-Brunswick
Elaine Maksa, D-Lewiston
Janet Mills, D-Farmington
Sawin Millett, R-Waterford
David Webster, D-Freeport
Mark Bryant, D-Windam
John Brautigam, D-Falmouth
Boyd Marley, D-Portland
Anne Haskell, D-Portland

UNDECIDED (13)

Charles Fisher, D-Brewer
Hannah Pingree, D-North Haven
Kimberly Silsby, D-Augusta
Stan Gerzofsky, D-Brunswick
Marilyn Canavan, D-Waterville
Gary Knight, R-Livermore Falls
Raymond Pineau, D-Jay
James Hamper, R-Oxford
Cynthia Dill, D-Cape Elizabeth
David Farrington, D-Gorham
John Tuttle, D-Sanford
Dawn Hill, D-York
Alan Casavant, D-Biddeford

I'll add another list for senators another time.

We all need to continue to call our legislators to ask them to vote to
repeal the school consolidation.  Please share those conservations with
me so I can keep a tally.    Let me know if you think it would be
helpful for any of us to talk with your legislator.  Also, with regard
to the names listed above, it would be a kind gesture on your part to
call and thank any of the legislators who are voting YEA.     Call the
legislators who are voting NAY  and see if you can get them to change
their minds.  In the case of the undecideds, perhaps you can provide
them some information which will help them decide to vote.

More later.

Thanks, Skip

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