Candidates in sync on schools Blaine House hopefuls air views on education

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The gubernatorial candidates may disagree about some issues, but when it comes to education they are in sync much of the time.

During recent telephone interviews, Democrat John Baldacci, Republican Peter Cianchette and Green Independent Party candidate Jonathan Carter all said they were committed to at least:

. Maintaining the current level of state school aid.

. Continuing to put the state’s Learning Results into place, if only incrementally.

. Developing a community college system.

. Encouraging school districts to share administrative costs.

Independent John Michael did not respond to a request for information.

Baldacci’s views

Baldacci, who wants to create a “seamless pre-K-16 education system,” would begin by expanding the number of high quality preschool programs throughout the state.

On the other end of the spectrum, the congressman wants to continue the development of a community college system that offers a full range of programs, open enrollment and low or no tuition.

On the K-12 front, Baldacci, a Bangor resident, is committed to the Learning Results, even though he says adjustments to their time frame may be needed in light of the budget crunch. Approved by the Legislature in 1996, the Learning Results are state standards that will first apply to the graduating class of 2007.

Baldacci, who supports the laptop program, has heard from teachers that it has had a positive effect on student attendance and behavior. But the program needs an infusion of private and foundation funds, he said.

He likes the Essential Programs and Services school funding model, which sets priorities for funding school services, because “it can help redefine the role the state must play in funding K-12 education.”

Hoping to “preserve and protect” local schools, he isn’t looking to consolidate rural schools, but instead wants to provide financial incentives for school systems that share administrative functions.

He doesn’t support vouchers “because they drain dollars from public education,” he said. Nor is he a fan of the Maine Municipal Association’s tax reform initiative, which would boost the state’s share of education expenditures to 55 percent – at least not yet. “While I support where they’re headed, we need to go over it in terms of some of the costs and revenues,” he said. The state’s share is now 44 percent.

But the state should fund at least half the cost of K-12 education to allow “for real property tax relief for Maine communities,” Baldacci said.

Determined to make Maine students “number one in the nation in math and science,” Baldacci said he would encourage initiatives that help schools improve math curriculums and that attract and prepare more math and science teachers.

The teacher shortage could be eased by providing scholarships, loan forgiveness programs, greater access to continuing education, and adequate pay and benefits, he said.

Keeping Maine students in college once they get there also is among Baldacci’s priorities.

He proposes developing a mentoring program in which older students help their younger counterparts adjust to college and thus reduce the dropout rate. And he wants to increase private fund-raising efforts so the University of Maine System and the Maine Technical College System can offer more scholarships.

Playing on the term “Brain Drain,” which refers to the large numbers of young people who are leaving the state, Baldacci said he has come up with a “Brain Gain” plan.

“My administration will constantly look toward improving the quality of Maine’s economy and preserving the quality of life in Maine to entice young people to make their home in Maine,” he said.

Investing more in research and development to enhance career opportunities and collaborating with private businesses and nonprofit organizations “so academic research can be successfully spun off into private industry” are some of Baldacci’s ideas.

Cianchette’s views

A top priority in Cianchette’s administration would be to separate the classroom dollars that go to books, teachers and students from the nonclassroom dollars that are spent for things like administration, busing, nutrition services and technology.

The South Portland Republican wants the state to “fully fund the classroom dollars that go directly to a student’s benefit and to try to reduce the cost of nonclassroom functions” by providing incentives for school districts that collaborate. The money that would be saved then could be funneled back into the classroom, he said.

While Cianchette likes the state’s Learning Results for their “higher level of accountability,” he says costs could be eased by putting math, science and language arts standards into place as soon as possible and then having a “longer phase-in period” for the others to save money.

Not yet sold on the laptop program, Cianchette said it should be evaluated before a decision to continue funding it is made.

Cianchette is adamant about creating a community college system using “existing resources” within the university and technical college systems, the adult education program and the high schools. Most important is to “reduce barriers to getting people to move within the system,” he said.

Easing the teacher shortage and increasing the quality of teachers can be done by opening the profession to “a wider pool of candidates,” Cianchette said.

“We have a tremendous untapped reservoir of people who could be fabulous teachers,” said Cianchette. “We need to have the ability to take those people with great experience and find a way to have them certified in a short period of time.”

Cianchette said his administration would support vouchers, charter schools, home schooling and tax credits -“every opportunity to expand educational choice” for Maine parents, since “they are the ones who know what’s best for their children.”

But his administration wouldn’t approve “policies that siphon money from the public education system,” he said.

Cianchette also wants to conduct an overview of the current system of high school vocational education to create a unified system that’s connected to the technical college system.

Carter’s views

Carter said he is the only candidate advocating boosting state school aid up to 55 percent to reduce property taxes.

He doesn’t support consolidation of school districts “if it results in busing young children an hour and a half to school,” he said. “Local schools are incredibly important in terms of the fabric of communities in Maine.”

But if school districts can document ways in which they have brought about savings, either through group purchases or by eliminating some administrative costs, they could be provided with additional funding, he said.

The Lexington Township resident also proposes creating low-cost, high-quality day care centers that are attached to local high schools. That way, students could be involved in after school programs and gain parenting skills at the same time, he said.

Carter said he is the only candidate to put $24 million into his budget to convert the technical colleges into full-fledged community colleges. “I don’t think we can afford not to make this investment. Higher education is the one thing that correlates with increasing per capita income,” he said.

Improving kids’ aspirations and making higher education more affordable also are vital, according to Carter, who would increase the availability of scholarship funds and mandate that all students take college preparatory courses.

Carter doesn’t support vouchers because he wants to “keep money invested in local schools.” But he is in favor of charter schools “because they don’t take money out of public education.”

The teacher certification system needs revamping, according to Carter who said the current method takes too long.

“Having mentoring programs for new teachers is a far more productive way of bringing new teachers into the field than education courses with a lot of paper work,” he said.

A former middle and high school biology teacher, Carter pointed out that Maine is 48th in the country in terms of paying teachers. “If we want to attract the best and brightest, we need to pay them better and provide them with a realistic pension and health insurance,” he said.

Carter advocates putting a moratorium on the state’s Learning Results and “moving forward as best we can.” He says the Learning Results are costing too much money.

Although he is “absolutely committed to technology,” Carter said there is no money to continue the laptop program. Instead, he’d like to see technology centers in every school.