[Local-Maine-Schools] (Skip Greenlaw) YEAS/NAYS/UNDECIDEDon repeal

Sun Mar 30 19:54:27 UTC 2008

Good afternoon Paul and others,

Your explanation of Rep. Kaufmann's position on the state's financial dilemma vis a vis education and consolidation
is not the issue.  

The overriding issue is who is going to provide vision and political leadership for the future of the State of Maine.
The second issue is why are our legislators not representing the views of their constituents.

It is easy for you to say "that consolidation in many areas is wise".  Afterall, consolidation will not affect the Mount Desert Island schools in any way.  You will not have to make any changes to your school structure.  Consolidation will not save you any money nor will it cost you any money.  When you thought that your school structure was threatened, you negotiated some changes to the legislation which you thought were to your advantage. When that did not work, you hired a lawyer to draft an amendment to the law to maintain the status quo.  It remains to be seen whether the amendment will ameriolate the potential dislocation and increased costs of other schools or if Maine people are willing to accept these changes.  Neither you nor I can make any determination about what is good for any school unit except our own.  One of the strengths of our culture is that  the citizens of Maine small towns take an active role in the school and municipal entities of our communities.  That concept is clearly being threatened by school consolida-
tion all over Maine, but not on Mount Desert Island.  It is an admirable quality to fight for what you believe in, but not at everyone else's expense.

For your information, members of our coalition have identified 38 members of the House who have committed themselves to vote for repeal this session.  There are 17 other members, whom we believe will vote for consolida-
tion, but with whom we have not yet had a personal contact.  There are 19 House members who have said that they will not vote for repeal.  Those numbers only reflect 1/2 of the House membership; so obviously we have a ways to go.  Many legislators have told me that were it not for the pressure which the petition created on the legislture they might have done nothing, which means that LD 1932 might not have been enacted.  The 500+ citizens who collected signatures thank you for calling the repeal effort "a futile battle".  We are trying to do what our elected representatives
should have done if they had represented us faithfully.

While I am talking about representation, let share with you a conversation I had earlier today with Rep. Jim Schatz about an amendment he offered last Thursday to the budget bill. The amendment would have shifted $6 million of the subsidy reduction from minimum receivers, who took a huge reduction in special ed fundin, to other communities, who despite reductions in subsidy, will be receiving more in subsidy in 08-09 than they did in 07-08.  The amendment lost by 7 votes  66 in favor, 73 opposed.  Jim told me that democratic leadership sent a note to all Democrats asking them to vote against all amendments except two sponsored by Appropriation Committee members.  How did our Hancock County representatives vote?  Reps. Schatz of Blue Hill, Rosen of Bucksport, Crosthwaite of Ellsworth, and Eaton of Sullivan all voted in favor.  Reps. Pingree (House Majority Leader) and Koffmann voted against the amendment.  The effective message which democratic leadership sent to democrats in the House was when it comes to the budget bill all non-Appropriations Committee legislators loose their right to vote.  We thank Reps Schatz and Eaton (as well as Republican Reps. Rosen and Crosthwaite) for representating their constituents and not democratic leadership  These are the amounts of subsidy reductions for 08-09 for the towns which Rep Koffman represents. Bar Harbor receives $181,142 less than last year, Southwest Harbor- $109,315 less, and Mount Desert $69,600 less, but Cranberry Isles receives $45,240 more.  The subsidy reductions in Rep. Pingree's district are as follows.  Deer Isle-Stonington will receive $308,580 less, Tremont $65,012 less, Swan's Island $20,279 less, North Haven $40,526 less, and Vinalhaven $13,618 less.  Brooklin will receive $25,048 more than last year and Isle au Haut will receive $14,612 more than last year.  Whose interests are Reps. Pingree and Koffmann representing?  Answer-- not their constituents!!!!!!!!!    P.S.  I have repeatedly asked Rep. Pingree  for a written explanation from the Department of Education about the methodology the department used to calculate these reductions.  No written ex-
planantion yet.  How can any legislator vote for the reductions if they have no knowledge about whether all communities were treated fairly?

The 2004 referendum vote to pay 55% of the aggregrate cost of education was a tragic mistake by Maine voters.
While Gov. Baldacci spoke against the referendum, he subsequently has not taken a leadership role to tell Maine
people that we could not afford 55%.  Maine people expect and respect honesty from its public officials.  If the gov-
norer had chosen the high road and asked us to find ways to cut back on educational expenditures, I suspect that many of us would have rolled up our collective sleeves and gone to work.  Instead he chose the low road and forced the legislature to vote for an ill-conceived school consoldiation law which was going to save millions.  Nine months later we have learned that there are no cost savings and the potential for large tax increases for local property tax
payers.  The governor did not even have the decency to involve the education leaders before he made the proposal and look at the mess we find ourselves in now.

I hope that before the election in November we ask all our candidates the obvious question.  If fact, it is so obvious
that no one thinks to ask it.  Will you promise to listen to your constituents' concerns and vote for the best interests
of the constituents who elect you?

Sincerely,
Skip
  From: Paul Murphy 
  To: 'Susan Whitby' ; atlee at umd.edu ; 'Local Maine Schools List' 
  Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2008 11:37 AM
  Subject: Re: [Local-Maine-Schools] (Skip Greenlaw) YEAS/NAYS/UNDECIDEDon repeal

  I know that Ted has wrestled with the role that education will play in addressing the unsustainable condition of the State's finances and I think it is safe to say that he feels there is a role for education to play. He may even feel that consolidation in many areas is wise (by the way I wouldn't argue with that position). There are a number of reasons that very few legislators don't support repeal (I do). As one who has spent considerable time at the legislature over the last year working both against the consolidation law and to make changes to the law that would make it more palatable, my perception is that most feel: 1.) that something must be done and soon (I'm not arguing in favor of that perception, just that it permeates the legislature, even among those who do not love this law); and 2.) that there is no hope whatsoever of repeal. (I would argue in favor of this position). The repeal effort is and has been a noble endeavor but for any who have spent any time talking to legislators about this, it is abundantly clear that repeal will not come from them. It is a futile battle.

  To Ted's credit, while he may not have been as vocal a champion of the changes in LD 1932 that are so vital to the prospects of MDI's, Trenton's and Lamoine's (as well as many other areas around the state) educational survival, as Hannah and Dennis, he has worked behind the scenes to try to build consensus among legislators , particularly those on the other side of the aisle from him and he has voted in every circumstance for the changes that are so vital to his constituency.  In the many conversations I've had with Ted about the consolidation matter I have found him entirely sympathetic to the matters of local control and the survival of the union form of governance, especially here on MDI, since there is such a high degree of cooperation within the Union.

  It may be that his position has evolved since your conversation with him but, again, I see that as to his credit rather than his detriment. 

  From: local-maine-schools-bounces at mainetalk.org [mailto:local-maine-schools-bounces at mainetalk.org] On Behalf Of Susan Whitby
  Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2008 10:08 AM
  To: atlee at umd.edu; Local Maine Schools List
  Subject: Re: [Local-Maine-Schools] (Skip Greenlaw) YEAS/NAYS/UNDECIDED on repeal

  I called Ted back in early November to ask him why he didn't support the repeal of  the school consolidation law.  He felt that it was an unpleasant, but necessary step so the State could reduce the amount it spends on schools, since this is an ever-increasing percentage of the yearly budget, despite dwindling enrollments.  He talked about huge school organizational changes that have happened historically Maine, and how they are always painful and unpopular.  

  I tried to present him with some of the extremely negative impacts that the law was going to have on some schools.  He seemed not to have a great deal of sympathy for MDI's plight, and felt that local school decision-making powers were not in the best interest of the communities as a whole,  but was concerned about schools like Trenton and Lamoine, due to the fact that raising teacher salaries there were going to have a devastating effect on the school budgets there.  He did suggest that perhaps school mergers were an unpleasant, but cost-effective solution to some of these situations down the road.

  Dick Atlee <atlee at umd.edu> wrote:

  This is Skip Greenlaw's census of House sentiment on repeal (I've 
  reformatted it into a single column for email). I'm personally curious 
  as to why people like Ted Koffman are against it. Does anyone have any 
  thoughts on this they could share with the list?

  Admittedly, a huge amount of work has gone into this on the part of 
  RPC's, but even if the law were repealed, if an RPC felt the results of 
  their work was better than what they had before, they could continue on 
  track -- as I recall, whatever help the DoE was going to provide for 
  this process has been pretty well expended by now, anyway. For existing 
  SAD's, repeal wouldn't seem to make any difference one way or the other. 
  But it makes a huge difference for the communities who are suffering 
  under the potential effects of the law, in many cases even with the new 
  mods that will probably survive a veto.

  So what I'm wondering is whether anyone can provide a non-DoE rationale 
  for why the law shouldn't simply be repealed. Is there any reason that 
  we all shouldn't be lobbying our reps to make a repeal bill veto-proof?

  Dick

  -------- Original Message --------
  Subject: YEAS/NAYS/UNDECIDED
  Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:37:12 -0400
  From: skipgreenlaw 
  To: skipgreenlaw 

  Good morning everyone,

  Here is a list of the legislators who have indicated how they will vote
  on repeal of the school consolidation law. YEA means they will vote to
  repeal; NAY means that they will _not_ vote to repeal; UNDECIDED means
  just that or in some cases may mean they don't want to tell us. This
  list is comprised of members of the House of Representatives.
  After their name R= Republican, D=Democrat, U= unenrolled

  YEAS (26)

  Peter Edgecomb, R-Caribou
  Jacqueline Lundeen, D-Mars Hill
  Richard Cleary, D-Houlton
  Henry Joy, R-Crystal
  Hebert Clark, D-Millinocket
  Jeffrey Gifford, R-Lincoln
  Benjamin Pratt, D-Eddington
  Christian Greeley, R-Levant
  Peter Johnson, R-Greenville
  Howard McFadden, R-Dennysville
  Robert Eaton, D-Sullivan
  James Schatz, D-Blue Hill
  Robert Crosthwaite, R-Ellsworth
  Lance Weddell, D-Frankfort
  Michael Thibodeau, R-Winterport
  Wendy Pieh, D-Bremen
  Kenneth Fletcher, R-Winslow
  W. Bruce MacDonald, D-Boothbay
  Philip Curtis, R-Madison
  Tom Savielo, U-Wilton
  John Patrick, D-Rumford
  Roberta Muse, R-Fryeburg
  Gary Moore, R-Standish
  Susan Austin, R-Gray
  Sarah Lewin, R-Eliot
  Windol Weaver, R-York

  NAYS (18)

  Troy Dale Jackson, D-Allagash
  Jeremy Fischer, D- Presque Isle
  Sean Faircloth, D-Bangor
  Emily Cain, D-Orono
  Joshua Tardy, R-Newport
  Thedore Koffman, D-Bar Harbor
  Jayne Crosby Giles, R-Belfast
  Christopher Rector, R-Thomaston
  Elizabeth Miller, D-Somerville
  Charles Priest, D-Brunswick
  Elaine Maksa, D-Lewiston
  Janet Mills, D-Farmington
  Sawin Millett, R-Waterford
  David Webster, D-Freeport
  Mark Bryant, D-Windam
  John Brautigam, D-Falmouth
  Boyd Marley, D-Portland
  Anne Haskell, D-Portland

  UNDECIDED (13)

  Charles Fisher, D-Brewer
  Hannah Pingree, D-North Haven
  Kimberly Silsby, D-Augusta
  Stan Gerzofsky, D-Brunswick
  Marilyn Canavan, D-Waterville
  Gary Knight, R-Livermore Falls
  Raymond Pineau, D-Jay
  James Hamper, R-Oxford
  Cynthia Dill, D-Cape Elizabeth
  David Farrington, D-Gorham
  John Tuttle, D-Sanford
  Dawn Hill, D-York
  Alan Casavant, D-Biddeford

  I'll add another list for senators another time.

  We all need to continue to call our legislators to ask them to vote to
  repeal the school consolidation. Please share those conservations with
  me so I can keep a tally. Let me know if you think it would be
  helpful for any of us to talk with your legislator. Also, with regard
  to the names listed above, it would be a kind gesture on your part to
  call and thank any of the legislators who are voting YEA. Call the
  legislators who are voting NAY and see if you can get them to change
  their minds. In the case of the undecideds, perhaps you can provide
  them some information which will help them decide to vote.

  More later.

  Thanks, Skip

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