Maine is without question a rural state. Seven out of 10 Mainers live in towns or cities with a population less than 10,000. Nearly half of Maine’s people reside in communities with a population less than 5,000.

Yet, despite Maine’s rural character, many of the decisions coming out of Augusta are driven by a mind-set that is insensitive to, and uninformed about, rural Maine. As evidenced by LD 1 and the Essential Programs and Services (EPS) formula, this is especially true with respect to the future of education in Maine’s small towns.

In contrast to Vermont, where a premium is placed on the value of small schools, Maine state government is placing increased pressure on rural education through a flawed formula for that rewards schools in its largest cities.

We are seeing the impact of that pressure in places like SAD 37, the state’s highest-performing multi-school district, which is facing the possibility of closing high-performing small schools. Ironically, one of those schools, Columbia Falls Elementary School, is the only school in Maine to win the National Title I Distinguished School Award for High Achievement this year.

Against this backdrop, one state panel that deserves especially close scrutiny is the Maine Board of Education. While its members are little known to the general public, their decisions have an enormous impact on the quality of education. For example, they have the final say on which communities are approved for school construction and renovation projects.

That is why it is so deeply troubling that the board is virtually devoid of representation from the small towns where so many of Maine’s people live.

As currently constituted, the nine-member Maine Board of Education is dominated by six members who reside in southern Maine’s geographically compact 1st Congressional District, while just three come from the vast 2nd Congressional District. Of those three, two are from Bangor and Waterville, two of the most populous cities in the 2nd District.

Looking at it another way, five board members hail from communities that are among Maine’s largest (Portland, Bangor, Brunswick, Sanford and Waterville), all of whom have populations of more than 15,000. Another three members reside in southern Maine’s 1st Congressional District (one in Falmouth and two in Harpswell), each with populations greater than 5,000.

No matter how, you slice it, Maine’s larger towns and cities are vastly overrepresented on the board.

Meanwhile, just one board member comes from a town with a population of less than 5,000 people.

It is unfortunate that gubernatorial appointments have failed to ensure an inclusive and representative board of education that reflects the realities of Maine as a rural state and provides a balanced voice that draws on the strengths and perspectives that people from across the state have to offer.

As a result, in the months ahead, the board will be under scrutiny by the people of rural Maine, the Maine Small Schools Coalition, and by those of us who represent rural areas in the Maine Legislature.

As one such legislator, I will be watching very closely to see how the board responds to issues critical to the future of rural education, such as the concept of consolidating Maine’s 286 school districts into just 35. Another major concern is the proposal to impose unrealistic student population requirements on future school construction projects, and how that could affect pending proposals such as the new high school in Machias and the long-overdue secondary vocational education facility in Jonesboro.

The jury is out. If the board fails to demonstrate an understanding of rural education needs, perhaps the state would be better served if the board were eliminated altogether, and its functions performed by a more accountable entity.

If Maine is to maintain a State Board of Education, it must be reconstituted to ensure broad representation. Maine’s larger communities deserve a voice. But with half of Mainers living in towns of less than 5,000, every candidate running for Governor this year has an obligation to pledge that the membership of the Board of Education will be made more reflective of Maine’s rural character.

Sen. Kevin Raye, R-Perry, represents Senate District 29, encompassing all of Washington County, and eastern portions of Hancock and Penobscot counties.