Meetings focus on school administrative reorganization

    PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – The School Administrative Reorganization proposal was enacted June 7 with Gov. John E. Baldacci’s signature on the two-year state budget. Now begins the hard work of implementing the reorganization law, which sets forth state policy to ensure that schools be organized as units in order to provide equitable educational opportunities, rigorous academic programs, and uniformity in delivering programs.
    To help people understand the law, the Department of Education will hold regional informational meetings, at which time presenters will provide information about the Reorganization Law and guidance about moving forward with regional planning, as well as answer questions. The meetings are open to members of the public, including superintendents, school board members, teachers, parents, business people, and community members.
Each meeting will be presented by Education Commissioner Susan A. Gendron, Jim Rier, the Department’s director of finance and operations; or Norm Higgins, a former superintendent who has been engaged by the Department to help lead this work.
The presenters will explain the new law and provide information about the role of local communities, the role of the Department of Education and the State Board of Education, and the resources available to local communities during the implementation process.
In Aroostook County, meetings will be held:
• Wednesday, June 20, 7 p.m., Caribou High School/Performing Arts Center, Caribou (Higgins).
• Thursday, June 21, 7 p.m., Fort Kent High School Gymnasium, Fort Kent (Higgins).
• Wednesday, June 27, 7 p.m., Presque Isle High School Auditorium, Presque Isle (Gendron).
• Wednesday, June 27, 7 p.m., Dexter Regional High School cafetorium, Dexter (Rier).
• Monday, July 9, 7 p.m., Miller Civic Center, Houlton (Higgins).
According to the Department of Education’s Web site, goals of the school administrative reorganization include increasing academic achievement, reducing duplicative system administration, achieving real savings that result in real tax relief, using limited resources effectively – mostly in the classroom, improving competitiveness of Maine’s classroom achievement with other states, improving the return on investment – that is, excellence in education, requiring transparency in budgeting so that local taxpayers see how the proposed school budget compares to state Essential Programs and Services recommendations for the school administrative unit, and ensuring that state-imposed savings are not replaced by local increases in taxes to make up the difference.
“Communities are encouraged to continue, or start, if they haven’t already, conversations with nearby school administrative units about the possibility of regionalizing, and to have conversations within their own communities about how best to achieve savings as required in the legislation without adversely affecting students in the classroom,” said Gendron on the department’s Web site. “We look forward to working together as we implement this new legislation.”