Baldacci, Gendron to hold live webcast on school plan

AUGUSTA – Gov. John Baldacci and Education Commissioner Susan Gendron will participate in a live interactive video Web broadcast Friday night to discuss the governor’s school administration consolidation plan and answer questions about how it will be implemented.

Baldacci and Gendron will present an overview of their Local Schools, Regional Support Initiative, and take questions submitted by e-mail during the program. The broadcast is scheduled from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2, and can be accessed by visiting www.maine.gov/education/webcast.

Viewers will be given a link to view the program, and information about how to submit questions. It will be archived and available for viewing at any time within a few hours of the broadcast for those who are not able to tune in live. Those with slower Internet connections should still receive full audio and a choppy video stream.

The LSRS Initiative calls for reducing the number of school districts in Maine from 152 to 26 by next year in an effort to cut administrative costs and shift resources toward the classroom and academics. For more information about the Web cast, visit www.maine.gov/education.

The governor and education commissioner also have held public forums on the initiative in Bangor, Lewiston, Berwick and Portland. A fifth forum will be held 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7, at Skyway Middle School in Presque Isle.

More information about the LSRS Initiative is available by visiting online: www.maine.

gov/ education and clicking on the Local Schools, Regional Support logo, or by calling the Department of Education at 624-6620.