School plan positions

Thank you for the weekend column by Todd Benoit about the current school consolidation debate. It is helpful to have the specific information he provided: that Maine now has 43,000 less students than in 1980 and that since 1998 our National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) math scores for fourth and eighth graders have fallen from third and first to 20th and 36th.

Two things are clear. Mainers need, want and are demanding property tax relief, and our state has more school administration than it needs. How much more than it needs is unclear. Two other things seem clear: 290 districts with 152 superintendents is way too much school administration and 26 districts and superintendents is way too little.

The activity going on within the Legislature on this issue, also well-summarized in Mr. Benoit’s column, may be able to reach a bipartisan consensus that can be agreed upon by session’s end. Between a plan being put forward by former Rep. Stephen Bowen of Rockport and the governor’s plan, with input from the Small Schools Coalition and goodwill on all sides, I am hopeful that a good school consolidation plan will be achieved by this year’s Legislature.

Jane Weil

Steuben