Settling into my recliner with remote in hand, I looked forward to some serious March Madness. Then I picked up the March 20 edition of the Bangor Daily News, and the front page article, “Northern Maine lacks candidate for teacher award,” captured my attention. Maine Education Department spokesman David Connerty-Marin noted that only nine applications for the Maine Teacher of the Year Award had been received, and none from “northern” Maine.

After reading the article, March Madness took a temporary back seat as I felt compelled to share my feelings on what many have come to expect from Department of Education press releases.

After some investigation on the department’s own Web site, I discovered that, in fact, there were no candidates from “northern Maine,” nor from central, western or far eastern Maine for that matter. Upon closer inspection, I found that the most “northerly” school administrative unit to submit a nomination was Lewiston (hardly the dividing point between northern and southern Maine), and the smallest submitting SAU was Freeport (1,147 students), large by rural Maine standards.

My sentiments have nothing to do with comparing regions of the state, but to demonstrate how words can make things look different from the truth. Over time, I have found that too much of the information emanating from the Education Department has been misleading at best and, in some instances, divisive and-or impugned to imply things that may support pending department initiatives or legislative action.

While I fully support the Teacher of the Year program that the department sponsors, know the outstanding commitment and qualities that Teacher of the Year nominees and all teachers possess, and applaud those units that submitted nominations this year, there may be circumstances that make it difficult or even preclude some units from participating from time to time in this worthy activity.

To even imply that there was a lack of participation from a particular region of the state because of “the region’s lukewarm support of consolidation” is divisive and inflammatory. To think that this was even remotely responsible for the lack of Teacher of the Year nominations in “northern” Maine is not only simplistic but seems to be quite typical of effective “spin.” I assure you that the value we place on our dedicated teachers is far greater than that we place on politics of the day, and that’s a constant from one end of Maine to the other.

There are varied, justifiable and valid reasons that affect the decisions made at the local school level. Small school units may lack the personnel resources to compile the mountain of information and data that the nomination process requires. Or might it be that many deserving teachers throughout Maine make known their desire to serve the educational needs of the students in their districts and classrooms rather than commit to the 20-plus school days required to participate in official Teacher of the Year duties? School units across the state employ thousands of outstanding and deserving teachers, many of whom have been asked and, for whatever reasons, have politely declined having their names submitted.

This has been an extremely difficult year for everyone associated with pre-kindergarten through grade 12 education in Maine. Among the many circumstances that have contributed greatly to survival mode thinking are legislative gridlock involving the consolidation debacle; the Essential Programs and Services funding formula that continues to decimate funding to rural and coastal Maine; the budget shortfall that has taxpayers and businesses reeling and school boards scrambling to pull things together for kids; the prolonged wait for accurate district funding figures so local units can begin the budget process that should have been nearly completed by now; and, yes, even the weather.

For future reference, most residents in my neck of the woods (like most in “northern” Maine) aren’t lukewarm to consolidation, but stone cold!

Any such nomination can be made only with the blessing of the nominee who agrees to the time commitment the process involves.

“Northern” Maine is a long way from Lewiston, or Augusta for that matter, and the Kennebec River probably isn’t the generally accepted line of demarcation between northern Maine and southern Maine.

Don’t assume that true “northern Mainers” want to share that moniker with people who live in the central, eastern or western reaches of our great state any more than they probably desire to be called “northern Mainers.” After all, aren’t we all proud to be just “Mainers”?

State leaders have claimed for years that it’s not true, so please don’t continue to perpetuate the myth that there are two Maines.

The people of our state (wherever they reside) deserve having the department shoot straight with the information it shares. That’s the least we should expect from our Department of Education.

Roger S. Shaw is superintendent of schools for SAD 42 in Mars Hill.