Education: January 2009 Archives

According to MDIschools.net, the state's best resource for school district consolidation news, of the 18 school consolidation plans that went before voters yesterday, eleven were defeated.  It will surprise almost nobody that the districts in question were almost entirely in the rural northern and eastern parts of the state, areas which have resisted consolidation efforts from the start.

The news for school choice was good.  Choice, where it is practiced now, is preserved in all of the consolidation plans that passed.  A consolidation plan for Hermon and MSAD 23, which would have ended school choice in MSAD 23, was soundly defeated by voters there last week.

So, the next move is the state's.  Presumably it will impose penalties on non-conforming districts, and it remains to be seen what the political ramifications of doing so will be.  Because most districts were either exempt from the law or have complied in some way, there will likely be little support in the legislature for lifting the penalties, which leaves the two sides at an impasse - voters won't approve consolidation plans, the state will likely continue to insist that they do.

Now what?

According to the state, 20 RSU plans are still awaiting approval by voters, and a number of them have implications for school choice:

Alton/Bradley/Greenbush/Milford/Old Town: RSU plan would protect school choice in all towns except Old Town, which does not have choice.

Sedgwick/Penobscot/Deer Isle-Stonington CSD/Brooksville/Brooklin/Blue Hill/Castine/Surry: AOS plan would protect school choice in all towns except for Deer Isle/Stonington, which does not have choice.

Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor CSD/Bremen/Bristol/Damariscotta/Edgecomb/Great Salt Bay CSD/Jefferson/Newcastle/Nobleboro/South Bristol/Southport: AOS plan would preserve choice for all these towns except Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor, which do not have choice.

Bucksport/Orland/Verona: Plan would preserve choice for Orland, but limit it to 35% of students. Beyond 35%, Orland would face a financial penalty of paying tuition to both Bucksport and the other school for the same student. It is really more of a cost-sharing arrangement than an abridgment of choice, but it certainly puts Orland in the position of strongly discouraging choice.

Orono/Veazie/Glenburn: RSU plan preserves choice for Glenburn and Veazie. Orono does not have school choice.

MSAD 4/MSAD 46/Harmony/Willimantic: Preserves choice for Harmony and Willimantic, SAD 4 and SAD 46 do not have choice.

MSAD 44/Gilead/Upton/Rangeley/Dallas, Lincoln, Magalloway, Rangeley, Sandy River plantations: Protects school choice for those that have it.

Brewer/Dedham/Orrington/MSAD 63/Airline CSD: Preserves school choice for all communities except Brewer, which does not have school choice.

MSAD 23/Hermon: Would end a school choice waiver program in SAD 23. Today, students in that district can get permission from the school board to attend a high school other than Hermon. That option will not be available to SAD 23 students, all of whom will be forced to attend high school in Hermon.

In summary, only the RSU plan for MSAD 23 will put an end to school choice options where they currently exist. Choice is to be preserved in the other RSU/AOS plans, as the law requires, which is good news. An AOS plan involving Acton, which has school choice, is still in development.