Excitement of the consolidation variety

Today's meeting of the Legislature's Education Committee promises to be an interesting one.

Not only will lawmakers attempt to tackle the issue of cutting more than $38 million from the education budget. Now that we know Maine's school district consolidation law will stay on the books, the committee members will resume talks about what needs to be changed about the law. That could be the liveliest discussion.

The Education Committee has invited some of the mandate's staunchest opponents to discuss what changes are needed for the consolidation law. Maine Coalition to Save Schools Chairman Skip Greenlaw, who led the attempt to repeal consolidation, will talk to committee members. He'll be joined by Mars Hill Superintendent Roger Shaw and Kingfield Superintendent Quenten Clark. Their districts are both out of compliance with the law.

Throughout the campaign over Question 3, Greenlaw said he objected to the mandate's penalties and the fact that there's no legal provision allowing a town to withdraw from a consolidated school district. He'll have a few more recommendations to share later today.

Education Commissioner Susan Gendron and the Department of Education's two main consolidation consultants, Norm Higgins and Ray Poulin, will also offer their take on what needs to change.

There's some consternation brewing about the Education Committee's guest list.

Gary Curtis, a school board member in the newly merged RSU 23 in Saco, sent this message to committee members:

"The vote in favor of keeping this legislation is not yet a month old, and it appears that the proponents of repeal are already looking to neuter the legislation by other means. I sincerely hope that those of us of the majority who voted against the repeal of this legislation will be 'polled' on what we think the strengths and weaknesses of the legislation might be."

Curtis also tells committee members he's disappointed to learn they're thinking about scrapping the two-part budget approval process that was part of the consolidation law.

"It is my sincere desire that the Committee meeting on the 17th, will recognize that doing away with the public's voice in school budgetary matters, and disallowing the distribution of penalty monies to communities entitled to it, are not the areas with which to begin amending this legislation.

"It is also my sincere desire that the Commissioner of Education will be directed to work with those of us who have complied with the law as well as those who are having problems doing so, BEFORE presenting possible perfecting amendments to the legislature."