Governor critical of
state’s education practices, outcomes
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
AUGUSTA — During last Tuesday night’s State of the State address to the 126th Maine State Legislature, Gov. Paul LePage was very critical of education in Maine.
“Despite committed teachers, dedicated parents and concerned citizens, too many public schools are not getting the job done,” he said. “We have schools in Maine where only 23 percent of students are at grade level in reading and math upon graduation. On average, only 32 percent of Maine fourth-graders are proficient readers. By the eighth grade, that number only climbs to 39 percent.
“Almost 20 percent of students drop out before graduation,” said LePage. “Those of us in this room have the responsibility to fix this travesty.”
LePage said that far too many graduates are either unprepared for higher education or the workforce.
“Fifty percent of incoming community college students require remediation. Employers are concerned that high school graduates do not have the basic math and reading skills necessary to succeed in the modern workplace,” he said. “We spend more than twice the national average on administrative overhead in our schools. In fact, on a per-pupil basis, Maine has the highest district administration costs in the nation. This money should be going into the classroom, not funding more bureaucrats with questionable impact on our children’s education.
“Public school administrators are in denial, and have taken a position that simply cannot be defended on the facts,” said LePage. “As a whole, Maine is not achieving academic growth at a competitive rate. This is unacceptable. But the good news is, we can reverse it.”
Part of LePage’s plan to “fix the problem” is to offer students options that work for them.
“Last session, we passed charter school legislation … a topic that has been highly politicized by administrators and big union bosses, despite the fact that Maine was the 40th state to adopt charter schools,” he said. “School choice benefits each and every Maine student who deserves the best education this state can provide.
“Giving students options is more than charter schools. It’s the Maine Math and Science School in Limestone. It’s the 10 town academies that have a track record of great success. It’s the Bridge Year program in Hermon, where high school students can earn both a high school diploma and an associate’s degree in five years,” said LePage. “All students and parents deserve options, especially those who are economically disadvantaged. I am proposing legislation to give more educational options to all kids. We must fund schools that best fit the student’s needs. All Maine students deserve an equal chance of success whether you live in Cape Elizabeth or Fort Kent. This is how we break the cycle of generational poverty for Maine’s children.”
During the governor’s address, he announced that he is directing Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen to develop a ranking system for Maine schools.
“Each school will be graded A, B, C, D or F. Students, parents, and communities will understand if their schools are good, average or failing,” said LePage. “Then, we help schools that are failing and reward schools as they improve.
“The third way we fix this problem is to adopt best practices. I plan to hold a Governor’s Conference on Education this March. We are bringing national experts to Maine to demonstrate what other states are doing to improve education,” he said. “We cannot stand still, we cannot wallow in the status quo and let the rest of the country and world pass us by. Instead, we must embrace the fact that we need to change and work together to solve this problem.
“If you believe the status quo is working, you are the problem — not the solution,” LePage said.
In Aroostook County, some school officials felt the state’s school funding formula should be tweaked to put everyone on equal footing.
SAD 1 Superintendent Gehrig Johnson said assigning letter grades for each school or school system will “make a lot more sense when the financial playing field is level for every child in every community in Maine.”
“Our state school funding formula is supposed to ensure that every child in Maine has an equal opportunity to obtain an education. That isn’t happening,” he said. “Relatively poor districts like SAD 1 are spending thousands of dollars less per student than their wealthy counterparts in southern Maine.
“A case in point, Yarmouth and SAD 1 serve approximately the same number of students, yet each year Yarmouth spends about $3,000 more per student, or a total of $5.5 million more yearly to educate their children,” said Johnson.
SAD 20 Superintendent Marc Gendron said LePage’s solutions may end up costing smaller districts even more money.
“I think that we have to find solutions for students that are struggling in a traditional classroom setting within the current public school structure,” he said. “In my opinion, adding another institutional layer of educational opportunities for students with diverse needs may be more expensive and less effective in the long run. Alternative schools may also pose transportation and accessibility issues that will limit opportunities for some students.
“I am a public school administrator,” said Gendron, “and I am not in denial concerning the challenges that public education faces in meeting the needs of all students.”
LePage pledged to legislators that — regardless of political affiliation — “if you are willing to put our kids first, to put aside issues like turf and money, we will get the job done.”
