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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hello Judie,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I'll do my best to reply to your e-mail regarding
consolidtaion issues.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>First of all, we do not vote for another governor
until November 2010.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>State law does not <U>require</U> that school
choice be eliminated from any consolidation plan. Although the governor
and commissioner of education want to eliminate school choice, the legislature
said no. So if a consolidation plan eliminates school choice, it is a
decision which the local</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>planning committe has recommended.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Your community is going to have to vote on whatever
consolidation plan is offered by January 30, 2009 because it is the current
law. Even though we have sufficient signatures ( and we plan to file them
on October 14 with the Secretary of State's office), the mere filing of the
petition has no bearing on state law until: 1. the Sec of State counts the
signatures and verifies that we have sufficient signatures and reports that fact
to the legislature.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>2. The legislature has an opportunity to
enact the petition thereby repealing the law. 3. If the legislature
fails to enact the law, it then goes to</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>public referendum in November 2009.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>There is a lot of discussion about voting for
consolidation plans for fear that communities lose their subsidies. I
think that this would be the worst possible reason for voting for
consolidation. My suggestion is to form a group of people and start an
active campaign to educate the people of your town about the facts as you and
others see them. Eydie Pryzant lives in Falmouth and is very active in
doing a grassroots campaign with others in Falmouth. Please call me at
367-2738, and I'll give you Eydie's phone</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>number.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>For some reason, the news media for the most part
has not been willing to dig into this issue and print factual
information.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I am not certain whether this information has
answered any of your questions. Please call me at any time, and I'll be
glad to discuss this with you further.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sincerely,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Skip Greenlaw</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=Judie.Couture@ssa.gov href="mailto:Judie.Couture@ssa.gov">Couture,
Judie</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=local-maine-schools@mainetalk.org
href="mailto:local-maine-schools@mainetalk.org">local-maine-schools@mainetalk.org</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, September 25, 2008 8:14
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Local-Maine-Schools] Repeal
Questions on voting in November 2008</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><!-- Converted from text/rtf format --><BR>
<P><FONT face=Courier size=2>Hello,</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT face=Courier size=2>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.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Courier size=2>Thank you</FONT> <BR><FONT face=Courier
size=2>Judie Couture </FONT></P>
<P>
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