Voters deserve a say in consolidation effort

Two years ago, with great fanfare, the Legislature enacted Gov. Baldacci’s plan for “historic property tax reform,” a plan that actually put off for five years the property tax relief that the voters had passed in referendum just the fall before. However, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and the “reform” turned out to be very thin gruel that actually increased property taxes for many Mainers.

Now the governor is touting a “historic” school reorganization proposal that promises to save taxpayers millions by turning 270 school units administered by 150 superintendents into 26 mega school districts, administered by 26 super-superintendents and their inevitable multitudes of assistants. The governor is so confident that this plan will save millions that he “books” the money saved and spends it in his budget. The governor is not alone in promoting dramatic consolidation; he has been joined by some in his own party and by prominent Republicans such as former gubernatorial candidate state Sen. Peter Mills.

It is no secret that I am an opponent of forcing towns to trust our children and tax dollars to larger and larger school bureaucracies. I oppose it because I think it will actually increase the cost of school administration and reduce citizen and parent involvement in local schools. I have been quiet during this year’s debate because I believe elections should have consequences, but it’s this same belief in democracy that is at the heart of my opposition to surrendering all power over our schools to the state. Make no mistake about it: This is a radical proposal. It is so dramatic and will have such profound consequences that I am very disappointed with the governor for not making this position public during the campaign last fall.

Here are a few of the questions that should have received a full public airing. How can we be sure that school consolidation will save money when past consolidation in Maine and other states has failed to do so? Is it prudent to spend the “savings” before they materialize? Is it smarter for Maine to put its faith in larger educational bureaucracies instead of giving voters more direct power over administrative costs? Given that past school consolidation has resulted in small schools in the poorer neighborhoods being closed, is this something Maine wants to encourage?

Are the largest SADs doing a more cost-effective job of providing a quality education than the smaller school units? Will Maine lose anything when it loses the direct involvement of 1,400 or so local residents on school boards? Does anyone think that when five or more districts are combined that the highest-paying teachers’ contract will not be the one adopted? Does anyone believe that the creation of these new districts will not become the occasion for a significant amount of new school construction? How will the inevitable increases in teachers’ compensation and new school construction affect Gov. Baldacci’s savings projections?

Instead of dealing with these real questions, the debate in Augusta has come down to whether we prefer to be half pregnant. Here’s an alternative. Pass the governor’s proposal exactly as he proposed it, but send it to the voters for ratification. It’s our tax money. They’re our schools; they exist to educate our children. Bring this debate directly to us and let us voters decide.

I don’t know how the vote would come out, but I know this issue won’t be settled until the people really have a chance to make an informed decision. If the consolidators prevail we can have a chance to see the savings they promise. If the voters decide to put their faith in local decision making then our leaders in Augusta will have their instructions.

I appreciate that advocates of consolidation might be very wary about putting this question directly to the voters, but it bears remembering that the Maine Constitution has a provision that enables motivated citizens to mount a petition process to “veto” legislation. Instead of cramming through change of this magnitude and hoping opponents won’t organize a citizen’s veto, why not trust the voters to sort out the facts themselves? I know the possibility of enacting the governor’s plan is very frightening to people on my side of the debate, but the consolidation issue has become a significant deterrent to allowing the Legislature to focus on meaningful educational reforms.

If the governor had aired this proposal during the campaign, one could conclude he has a mandate to pass this. But since he was quiet about this, it is incumbent upon the Legislature to send this to the people. They are owed nothing less.

Barbara Merrill of Appleton is a former member of the House and a former independent candidate for governor.