Regionalization panel to hold hearings

BELFAST – A special legislative committee formed to study the benefits of having schools, as well as municipal and county governments, share services through regionalization will hold its initial hearings later this week.

The Joint Select Committee on Regionalization and Community Cooperation, which was created by legislative leaders last week, is made up of four state senators and 11 representatives.

The panel was formed to review legislation expected to be submitted by Gov. John Baldacci within the next few weeks, according to Douglas Rooks, communications director with the office of the speaker of the House. That legislation is expected to recommend the elimination of school unions and the creation of larger school districts.

Rooks said the committee members would attempt to determine the benefits of regionalization of schools as well as county and municipal operations. The committee also was granted the power to write its own legislation.

“It does seem to be the right moment to do this,” Rooks said Monday. “The governor has been preparing legislation that will be introduced this session and the committee will spend a lot of time hearing from people on these issues.”

The formation of the select committee follows the release last month of a report by the Task Force on Increasing Efficiency and Equity in the Use of K-12 Education Resources. Task force members testifying before the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee two weeks ago indicated that savings could be realized by forming regional cooperatives and larger school districts.

Under the plan, the state would offer financial incentives to schools that choose to regionalize. The incentives include an increased state subsidy and reimbursement of a percentage of debt for school construction depending on the size of the regional school district.

Denison Gallaudet, school superintendent from Richmond and a member of the Maine Small Schools Coalition, said Monday that his group intended to fight the regionalization proposal.

Of Maine’s 115 high schools, the 45 that have fewer than 300 students are being pressured to regionalize, Gallaudet said. He said the only way a school district could receive incentives from the state was to merge with another school or build a high school with more than 300 students.

Gallaudet said that while the task force had a “number of good recommendations,” forcing small schools into larger districts was not one of them.

“We question the conclusion that it costs more to run a smaller district than a larger district. The fact is, it doesn’t cost any more and there is no difference in academic achievement,” Gallaudet said Monday.

Rooks said the committee would hear from parties from municipal and county government and education. He said committee members were selected from every region of the state.

Sen. Dennis S. Damon, D-Trenton, and Rep. Janet McLaughlin, D-Cape Elizabeth, were appointed committee co-chairmen. Also serving on the committee are Sens. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston; Chandler Woodcock, R-Farmington; Kenneth Blais, R-Litchfield; and Reps. Edward Suslovic, D-Portland; Christopher Barstow, D-Gorham; Glen Cummings, D-Portland; Janet Mills, D-Farmington; Theodore Koffman, D-Bar Harbor; Philip Bennett, D-Caribou; Joshua Tardy, R-Newport; Thomas Murphy, R-Kennebunk; Anita Peavey-Haskell, R-Greenbush; and Stephen Bowen, R-Rockport.

The committee will take public testimony in Room 216 of the Cross Office Building at 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, and 9 a.m. Friday, Feb. 13.