Consolidation continues to raise questions (Printed July 13, 2007)
Posted by Sentry Editor at 7/19/2007 1:59 PM 
Categories: State News, Cape schools, So Po Schools, Consolidation, Augusta News
Categories: State News, Cape schools, So Po Schools, Consolidation, Augusta News
By Amanda Estes
Staff Writer
A joint meeting Tuesday night between the Cape Elizabeth School Board and the town council to discuss the town’s plans for moving forward with consolidation raised more questions than answers.
During the next month, school administrators will look at recommendations for possible plans and conduct another public hearing.
“The end product is imperfect,” said Bruce Smith of the consolidation, which he said reflected the legislature’s effort to do a lot of work in a short period of time. Smith, an attorney in school law with Drummond, Woodsum & MacMahon, attended the meeting to provide a consolidation overview and to offer guidance, as school administrators, statewide, are coming up against the Aug. 31 deadline to submit a notice of intent to the Department of Education (DOE).
The School Administration Reorganization Law was passed on June 7 as part of the state’s $6.3 billion two-year budget. The law aims to cut state education costs by reducing the number of school districts from the more than 200 that currently exist to 80.
Districts that are exempt from the law and may opt to submit an alternative plan rather than form a regional school unit (RSU) include school administrative units that serve more than 2,500 students, school units designated by the Commisioner of Education as “efficient, high-performing districts,” and school units that after due diligence fail to find a consolidation partner.
State Rep. and Cape Elizabeth Town Councilor Cynthia Dill pointed out the “efficient, high performing” exception “is a result of Cape Elizabeth.” Dill made the amendment to exempt school units which as defined by the May 2007 Maine Education Policy Research Institute Report contain at least three “higher performing” schools and report per-pupil expenditures for system administration that represent less than four percent of the total, according to a DOE summary of the law. The summary also states the DOE will “develop criteria for ‘efficient, high performing’ [units] in major substantive rules to be provisionally adopted by December 2007.”
Dill said some legislators felt the May 2007 report criteria would become “stale” over time and the law needed “a standard that was evolving and not dependent on a report.” This year, the law is dependent on the report, but as it moves forward the new rules will take the report out of the formula.
If Cape Elizabeth pursues an alternate plan, the district must still come up with a way to cut administrative costs.
According to the summary of the law, the per-pupil rate for system administration will be cut by 50 percent from 2005-2006 rates and facilities, maintenance, transportation and special education will each be cut by five percent.
After attending a recent superintendents’ meeting, Superintendent Alan Hawkins said the cost per student for administrative costs has already been set at $204.
In terms of the school budget, which will be required to go to referendum regardless if Cape Elizabeth is exempted or not, Smith said voters will either vote the budget up or down. The monetary amount will not appear on the ballot, but the budget must be posted so residents can the budget the town council approved.
The ballot will also specify whether or not the budget exceeds state subsidies and requires additional funds to be raised locally.
Hawkins said he has been performing due diligence in looking at possible partnerships and has had talks with newly appointed South Portland Superintendent Suzanne Godin and Scarborough Superintendent David Doyle.
Cape Elizabeth serves 1,756 students compared to 3,100 students in South Portland and 3,500 students in Scarborough, Hawkins said.
Hawkins said he has also considered the possibility of sharing costs for transportation, food services, and special education with Yarmouth or Freeport.
At this point, however, Hawkins said it appeared as though Falmouth would partner with Cumberland and North Yarmouth and that Yarmouth would either join Freeport or stand alone.
“One of the big issues for me in this process is looking at costs,” Hawkins said.
David Hillman, one of a handful of residents to voice concerns during Tuesday night's meeting, said he favored pursuing exemption while also looking at ways to collaborate with Yarmouth, Falmouth or Freeport. He said those communities are of equal size and have equal interests and they were to collaborate, Cape Elizabeth would retain its own high school and a sense of autonomy.
Staff Writer
A joint meeting Tuesday night between the Cape Elizabeth School Board and the town council to discuss the town’s plans for moving forward with consolidation raised more questions than answers.
During the next month, school administrators will look at recommendations for possible plans and conduct another public hearing.
“The end product is imperfect,” said Bruce Smith of the consolidation, which he said reflected the legislature’s effort to do a lot of work in a short period of time. Smith, an attorney in school law with Drummond, Woodsum & MacMahon, attended the meeting to provide a consolidation overview and to offer guidance, as school administrators, statewide, are coming up against the Aug. 31 deadline to submit a notice of intent to the Department of Education (DOE).
The School Administration Reorganization Law was passed on June 7 as part of the state’s $6.3 billion two-year budget. The law aims to cut state education costs by reducing the number of school districts from the more than 200 that currently exist to 80.
Districts that are exempt from the law and may opt to submit an alternative plan rather than form a regional school unit (RSU) include school administrative units that serve more than 2,500 students, school units designated by the Commisioner of Education as “efficient, high-performing districts,” and school units that after due diligence fail to find a consolidation partner.
State Rep. and Cape Elizabeth Town Councilor Cynthia Dill pointed out the “efficient, high performing” exception “is a result of Cape Elizabeth.” Dill made the amendment to exempt school units which as defined by the May 2007 Maine Education Policy Research Institute Report contain at least three “higher performing” schools and report per-pupil expenditures for system administration that represent less than four percent of the total, according to a DOE summary of the law. The summary also states the DOE will “develop criteria for ‘efficient, high performing’ [units] in major substantive rules to be provisionally adopted by December 2007.”
Dill said some legislators felt the May 2007 report criteria would become “stale” over time and the law needed “a standard that was evolving and not dependent on a report.” This year, the law is dependent on the report, but as it moves forward the new rules will take the report out of the formula.
If Cape Elizabeth pursues an alternate plan, the district must still come up with a way to cut administrative costs.
According to the summary of the law, the per-pupil rate for system administration will be cut by 50 percent from 2005-2006 rates and facilities, maintenance, transportation and special education will each be cut by five percent.
After attending a recent superintendents’ meeting, Superintendent Alan Hawkins said the cost per student for administrative costs has already been set at $204.
In terms of the school budget, which will be required to go to referendum regardless if Cape Elizabeth is exempted or not, Smith said voters will either vote the budget up or down. The monetary amount will not appear on the ballot, but the budget must be posted so residents can the budget the town council approved.
The ballot will also specify whether or not the budget exceeds state subsidies and requires additional funds to be raised locally.
Hawkins said he has been performing due diligence in looking at possible partnerships and has had talks with newly appointed South Portland Superintendent Suzanne Godin and Scarborough Superintendent David Doyle.
Cape Elizabeth serves 1,756 students compared to 3,100 students in South Portland and 3,500 students in Scarborough, Hawkins said.
Hawkins said he has also considered the possibility of sharing costs for transportation, food services, and special education with Yarmouth or Freeport.
At this point, however, Hawkins said it appeared as though Falmouth would partner with Cumberland and North Yarmouth and that Yarmouth would either join Freeport or stand alone.
“One of the big issues for me in this process is looking at costs,” Hawkins said.
David Hillman, one of a handful of residents to voice concerns during Tuesday night's meeting, said he favored pursuing exemption while also looking at ways to collaborate with Yarmouth, Falmouth or Freeport. He said those communities are of equal size and have equal interests and they were to collaborate, Cape Elizabeth would retain its own high school and a sense of autonomy.
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