Use truth to improve education

Maine’s small, community schools are not the enemy of “imagination and creativity” as James Carignan and Elinor Multer imply in their BDN op-ed piece of July 12. We are hard-working, dedicated parents, teachers, community members, and yes, superintendents who are using “imagination and creativity” to make certain that all of Maine’s students have an equal opportunity to a quality education no matter where they live or what their financial status might be.

Carignan’s and Multer’s premise that all schools in Maine must be imaginative and creative is correct. Those of us living in communities with small schools have been using imagination and creativity for years – long before it became politically correct. How do you think we have survived for so long.

One school has reduced its administrative team by 40 percent. It has cut five teaching positions while maintaining the same high quality of education. That school like so many others schools both large and small has accomplished this through imagination and creativity. But this school is not unique. It is just an example of what the vast majority of Maine’s public schools are doing to better serve our students and

our communities.

Carignan and Multer make certain assumptions concerning the operations of schools. They state, “current practices are not fixed in stone, and they must be continually re-examined in relation to changing local contexts.” The Small Schools Coalition agrees completely with this assumption. That is exactly what have been doing for years and what we will continue to do.

We are frequently meeting with Gov. John Baldacci, Education Commissioner Susan Gendron and Jim Rier of the Department of Education, state legislators and community leaders to create new and innovative ways to meet the ever-changing needs of our schools, our communities, and our state.

It is imperative for people to understand that the Essential Programs and Services funding formula is new and any new piece of legislation is going to have flaws and unintended consequences. Rather than defending a flawed system, we should all work together to correct those flaws and unintended consequences. The better the formula we have, the better our educational system will be for our children. That is the purpose of education. Find the truth and use that truth to improve the system.

We realize that imagination and creativity are cornerstones of a free society. We also realize that imagination and creativity only go so far, and we also know that fiscal resources help to make imagination and creativity even better.

I hope Carignan and Multer will join us in the search. We need people with open minds who are willing to discover what is really going on in our schools. Then we can all really

know what is happening in most schools. With or without them, we will continue to move forward with our goal of quality education for all of Maine’s students. We would prefer

to have them join with us.

Richard A. Gould is the executive director of the Maine Small Schools Coalition.