By Ward Peck
Editor
    The South Portland school system will likely remain an independent entity following the school board’s unanimous decision directing new School Supt. Suzanne Godin to file a letter of intent with the State Dept. of Education in line with the new school district reorganization law.
    Letters of intent must be submitted to State Education Commissioner Susan Gendron by Aug. 31 and are meant to indicate whether school districts intend to reorganize by combining with other districts or remain independent by qualifying for an exception to the law. South Portland schools qualify for an exception because it has a student population of more than 2,500. Even though it qualified for the exception, the district could have pursued a consolidation with a neighboring district such as Cape Elizabeth.
    Cape Elizabeth qualifies for a different exception that allows “high performing, highly efficient” school systems to remain independent. Godin who said she keeps in regular contact with Cape Elizabeth Supt. Alan Hawkins said Cape Elizabeth will likely opt to remain independent.
    The purpose of the school district reorganization law is to create cost efficiencies by combining administrative, operation, maintenance, transportation and special education services offered by each school district. The Dept. of Education will cut subsidies to local school districts in those areas as a way to realize the cost savings.
    School districts that opt to remain independent are still expected to cut costs in those areas by sharing services with other districts by creating a reorganization alternative plan. Godin told the school board she is currently in communication with Hawkins, Portland school administrators as will as South Portland municipal officials to explore ways of combining services. She also pointed to several special education teacher resignations the school board accepted earlier in the meeting. Godin said she does not intend on filling the positions.
    Following the acceptance of the district’s intent to remain independent, the reorganization or alternative plans must be filed by Dec. 1.
    Due to its high valuation, South Portland receives the minimum state subsidy, which only covers a fraction of the district’s special education needs and receives no assistance in the other areas that will be cut. 
    The Dept. of Education has devised a number of penalties to punish districts that don’t reorganize or submit alternative plans that do not cut costs.
    These include cutting the minimum subsidy and looking unfavorably on state-funded school construction requests.
    South Portland hopes to receive future state funding for a proposal to combine its two middle schools in a new building.