A few weeks ago I asked readers to vote on four alternatives for school consolidation given the fact that the Legislature’s Education Committee had proposed a plan that had little chance of providing meaningful consolidation.  One of the alternatives, already proposed by the Appropriations Committee, was to form a sub-committee of four from their group to come up with a better plan.  I confess that I was skeptical about the likelihood of success of this alternative. Nonetheless, the Sub-Committee composed of Senators Peggy Rotundo, Sawin Millett, and Karl Turner and Representative Emily Cain has come up with a sensible proposal that has a chance of providing meaningful savings and improved governance.

The plan is still taking final shape and was reported to the full Appropriations Committee yesterday, after my deadline for this story.  Nonetheless, if the Sub-Committee proceeds with the direction they have tentatively settled on, this is a good plan.  The plan would mandate that districts of at least 2,500 students be formed voluntarily by July 31st of 2007.  School districts of less that 2,500 students who have not found a partner or partners by that time will be subject to assignment by the State Board of Education.

Governance for the newly formed districts would be provided by a Regional School Board of relatively modest size (the exact number is still being discussed).  Board members would be elected in a way that makes it clear that each member represents the interests of the district (or possibly sub-districts).  Voting will be one person, one vote,.   Local Advisory Boards may be formed for each school in the district, much as was proposed in the Governor’s plan.

The school budget approval process would require a referendum vote in the district.  Should the proposed budget exceed the state Essential Programs and Services (EPS) guidelines, the district would have to approve this provision by a separate vote.

Overall, the plan should result in savings of $30 - $40 million per year.  This is a reasonable savings result.  It does not match the Governor’s early estimate of $250 million in savings over three years.  However, the Governor was taking credit for significant reductions in the number of teachers in his plan.  He has subsequently backtracked on the notion of reducing teachers, simply suggesting that the newly formed Districts would look at staffing issues at a later time.  It appears the Sub-Committee of the Appropriations Committee is taking a similar approach.

Thus it looks like we might finally have a good plan.  If adopted by the Appropriations Committee, the plan will become part of the biennial budget subject to a two-thirds vote of the Legislature for approval.  While passage is not assured, I hope the Legislators will consider the long-term benefits to the state of such an approach.  We already know that a majority of Mainers want a plan that, like this one, provides meaningful savings and provides an improved school governance structure.

The principal opposition to such a plan comes from those who claim that local control will be sacrificed in such an approach. I do not see the logic here. First, the regional boards will certainly represent local interests. The Boards’ principal responsibility, after all, is to ensure that the best educational opportunities possible are presented to the students in the district. Districts with sufficient size to be able to afford a range of quality programs and to be able to attract good teachers and administrators are more likely to be able to provide such educational opportunities. Moreover, local advisory boards will be formed to ensure that communities and neighborhoods have a voice in specific schools. We formed such “school-based” boards when I was on the School Board in M.S.A.D. 51 and found them helpful and constructive.

 Finally, the state proscribes Learning Results, the state-wide standards by which all schools develop learning and instruction. There is clear value in having this aspect of education policy consistent across all schools. This gives parents, colleges, and employers a better sense of the quality of a student’s diploma.