[Local-Maine-Schools] Repeal Questions on voting in November 2008

[Couture, Judie]

Hello,

I have a question on the repeal maybe someone has answers to this.  I am
for the repeal, I live in Arundel Maine where we have high school choice
and we tuition our middle school students to Thornton Academy in Saco
(which was voted on in our community overwhelmingly in support of).
Unfortunately, our school board which is pro Kennenbunk had voted in a
split vote to join with Kennebunk. It will cost our community more money
to do this and probably end our contract with Thornton and eventually
our school choice.  Many in our community are very upset about this and
signed the petition to repeal this whole mess.  Now that they have
collected enough signatures and this will probably go before the voters
in November 2009, I believe also that is when we vote in a new governor?
My question is my community is going to have to vote on whether to
partner with Kennebunk this November? Why? If this is going to be a
question to vote on in 2009?  If my community votes to join with
Kennebunk- because my school board is using scare tactics by throwing
the penalties at us if we don't- people feel threaten by this and
probably will vote to join Kennebunk- even if all the facts are not
there. Is there any way of stopping this from happening?  If communities
vote to consolidate and this begins in January of 2009?  Will the
referendum for the repeal stop this consolidation or slow it down, until
the entire state gets to vote on it?  I am very worried that once my
community votes on this in November we will be forced to merge and by
the time we vote on it in November of 2009 it will be too late to make a
difference. I think that information needs to get out there across the
state that communities need to vote this down so that legislators can
look at this again in January of 2009- voting on this should not be
happening this November until the entire state can make a decision on
the repeal.  Maybe I do not have all my facts right- but if someone
knows more- please let me know.  Right now I am a little discouraged and
bewildered by all of this.  If the news media had this information-maybe
the message would get out there.

Thank you
Judie Couture 
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