By LARRY GRARD
Staff Writer Saturday, May 05, 2007

Scott Porter of Machias, president of the organization that represents mostly rural districts, said Friday that the blended plan put forward by Rep. David Farrington of Gorham is gaining traction in the Legislature. Sandra MacArthur, superintendent of School Administrative District 59 in Madison and past president of the coalition, also expressed support.

Farrington, a member of the Education Committee, presented his plan to the 45-member rural caucus on Tuesday. Late Friday afternoon, members of the Appropriations and Education committees discussed it.

The blended plan counters a proposal from the Appropriations Committee to reduce the number of school units from 290 to 80.

That recommendation also would eliminate the state's 33 school unions, and break up long-standing relationships such as the one in place with Winslow, Vassalboro and China.

Superintendent Elaine Miller reported during a School Union 52 meeting Thursday night that the plan might force Winslow to merge with Waterville -- a move that Winslow residents have vigorously opposed. In response to that suggestion, Winslow residents footed most of the cost of a $9 million expansion under way at Winslow High School.

"We're going to fight that," Porter said of the Appropriations Committee recommendation. "We don't like this top-down, in-your-face method of restructuring schools."

Farrington's plan confines the 2,500 minimum student population for school units to Cumberland and York counties only. The remainder of the state would comply with a 1,200 minimum.

Porter, superintendent of School Union 102 in Machias and of the East Machias Municipal School District, points out that the rural caucus has clout.

"As a group, they're a pretty good-sized force," he said. "You need a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate to get this through."

But Sen. S. Peter Mills, R-Cornville, cast doubt on the viability of the blended plan.

"It's just people trying to gin up resistance to consolidation," said Mills, a member of the Education Committee who represents a rural district. "It doesn't make anybody do anything."

Farrington's proposal must pass muster with Appropriations before going to the full House and Senate.

"He's gotten some attention from some members of the rural caucus -- not all of them," Mills said.

Porter said that the blended plan also offers locals an opt-out on consolidation, albeit with a "financial stick," that cuts administrative costs.

"Local control stays in place," he said. "It takes a local vote to make it happen."

Porter points out that projected savings from the statewide plan for 80 school units is $36.5 million -- the same as with Gov. John Baldacci's proposal for 26 districts.

"Cut the subsidy, but let us govern ourselves the way we want to," he said. "I don't understand why they want to legislate from Augusta the way we run our school units."

MacArthur cast doubt on the cost-effectiveness of consolidation.

"Our data demonstrates that consolidation would increase costs," she said. "There will be much more administration with larger districts, plus greater transportation costs."

MacArthur said that 38 of the 118 superintendents in the state would lose their jobs. According to the Appropriations Committee plan 21 units would be untouched, she said, and there would be 59 new ones. Because of their size, they would have assistant superintendents, she said. "You're actually going to add 21 new administrators into those districts," MacArthur said. "They might be called business managers or curriculum coordinators, but you're still adding administrators."

A timeline calling for consolidation by the summer of 2008 will not work, MacArthur said.

"It's unrealistic," she said. "If you look into the private sector, nobody would be able to do what is being attempted. This is no data -- no plan."

Larry Grard -- 474-9534, Ext. 343

lgrard@centralmaine.com