Baldacci touts school reform in 1st radio address

PORTLAND – In his inaugural weekly radio address to Mainers, Gov. John Baldacci said Saturday it is imperative that the state’s public school system be restructured to improve education and provide tax relief.

Baldacci’s comments were aired in a five-minute radio address that was recorded earlier this week and broadcast on more than two dozen Maine radio stations during the weekend. It also was carried online on public radio and the governor’s Web sites.

The talk was the first of a series of regular weekly radio addresses on issues in Maine.

In his comments, Baldacci said critics have aligned themselves in opposition to his efforts to downsize and restructure the school administrative structure. Meanwhile, he said, “too many supporters have fallen silent and allowed a vocal minority to have the field of debate to itself.”

The time has come for business and political leaders to speak up in support of the restructuring plan, which calls for consolidating 290 school administrative districts into 26 for a savings of $241 million in its first three years, Baldacci said.

“Right now, those with a vested interest in the status quo – those content to just say no to any change – are dominating the public discussion,” the Democratic governor said. “They are using fear and misinformation to hide a simple truth. If Maine is to move forward, to continue to innovate, we cannot do the same old things in the same old way.”

Republicans in the House and Senate have agreed to provide responses to Baldacci’s weekly addresses. House Republican leader Josh Tardy of Newport issued the response to the governor’s first address.

The governor should be commended for starting a discussion on how to achieve financial savings in the school system, Tardy said. At the same time, residents have made it clear they will not sacrifice local control over their schools in the name of saving money, he said.

“We must find an acceptable balance that reduces excessive and redundant bureaucratic costs while leaving control of our schools at the local levels. There is no substitute for direct community involvement,” Tardy said.

The governor, Tardy added, must also cut bureaucracy costs in state government.

Baldacci’s weekly radio address is the first of its sort by a Maine governor, according to the governor’s office. Governors of California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Hawaii also provide scheduled radio addresses.