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<p class="ReturnAddress"><font size="2">Mount Desert Island
Reorganization Planning Committee<br><a href="http://mdischools.net/">MDIschools.net</a></font></p>
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<font size="4">Press Release</font></p>
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<p class="Contact" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="">Contact:
Brian Hubbell<br>Phone:
(207) 214-4848<br><a href="mailto:sparkflashgap@gmail.com">sparkflashgap@gmail.com</a></span></p>
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<p class="MsoDate" style="line-height: normal;">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br>3 P.M. EDT, April 7, 2008</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b style="">Rural Maine
supports LD 1932 as enacted, urges Governor to sign bill</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Lead-inEmphasis">Bar
Harbor, ME, April 7, 2008</span>: Educators on Mount Desert Island today join
with those from other districts around the state to commend state legislators
for enacting LD 1932, the long-anticipated fix to last year's school
reorganization law.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">As amended by substantial majorities
in both the House and Senate earlier this legislative session, LD 1932 allows
school districts the option to consolidate as Regional School Unions, a
governance model in which regional central office functions of business,
curriculum, and administration are consolidated under the oversight of a
regional board while ownership and oversight of individual schools is retained
by local subcommittees.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">The Regional Union governance
model is based largely upon the present administrative structure of School
Union 98 which serves the diverse student enrollments and valuations of four
towns of MDI and its three outer islands and which the Commissioner of
Education has repeatedly declared to be a high quality, successfully administered
school system.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Problems of cost and governance
in the Governor's previous consolidation law now prevent reorganization in most
towns in the state which are subject to the law's requirements. What will fix
the problem in one community will not necessarily work in all communities.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">We support all the provisions of
LD 1932 that will remove various other consolidation barriers for many school
systems. We realize that a school union option is neither wanted nor needed in
all communities. However, just as surely, without the carefully-crafted,
comprehensive school union provisions contained in this bill, a significant
number of communities in the state will be either unable to comply with the
consolidation law.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Providing this option will not
cost the loss of educational subsidies to other communities. That assertion has
been made and, when challenged, left wholly unsubstantiated by representatives
of the Department of Education throughout debate on this bill. We ask the
Department to cease the divisive political rhetoric that has characterized
their opposition to the school union proposal and join with us to create
efficient and effective school governance structures tailored to meet the
diverse needs of Maine's
many communities.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">This is the moment for the
Governor to prevent what will otherwise be profound ongoing contention between
the Department of Education and voters in dozens of towns throughout this
state. Let us all return our attention to assuring all our children access to
the highest possible quality educational opportunities so they each and all
will be ready for the challenges of career, college and citizenship in the
twenty-first century.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">We ask the Governor to sign LD
1932. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Gail Marshall, Mount Desert,
MDI RPC<br>Brian Hubbell, Bar
Harbor, MDI RPC<br>Paul Murphy, Bar
Harbor, MDI RPC<br>Ernie Easter, New Sweden Elementary
School<br>George Crawford, Jonesboro Elementary School<br>Nancy Hudak, New
Sweden<br>Henri Gignoux, Steuben, Downeast
Coastal RPC<br>Amanda Dyer, Bar Harbor Teachers'
Association<br>Kristin Hutchins, Southwest Harbor Select Board<br>John March, Mount Desert<br>Virginia L. Mott, Lakeville<br>Lisa Plourde, Conners Emerson
School, Bar
Harbor<br>Barry McLaughlin, Superintendent,
Union 107<br>Judith Jones, Hope<br>John & Tammy DesJardin Frenchboro, ME<br>Mary Wallace, MDI High School<br>Kimberly Steinbarger, Beech Hill
School Committee, Union
92 RPC<br>Don Holt, Chairman, Mariaville
Select Board<br>Dick Atlee, Southwest Harbor<br>Rochelle Sprague, Conners Emerson School<br>Gordon Donaldson, University of Maine<br>Cynthia Sakovics Brotzman, Conners Emerson School<br>Susan Covino Buell, Southwest Harbor<br>
Eric Henry, Southwest Harbor
School Board<br>Sue Hersey, Conners-Emerson School<br>Mary Ann Young, Conners-Emerson School<br>Marc Chappe, Conners-Emerson School<br>Marlene Hurd, Conners-Emerson School<br>Maureen King, Kennebunkport RPC<br>Mia Thompson Brown, Chair, Mount Desert
Elementary<br>Elizabeth M. Erickson, Tremont
School Board<br>Valerie Peer, Conners-Emerson School<br>Kate Chaplin, Cranberry Isles
School Board Chair<br>Kathleen Rybarz, School Board,
Lamoine<br>Anthony J. Robertson, Bar Harbor</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">-End-</p>