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UPDATE ON CONSOLIDATION - OCTOBER 22, 2007
From the Freeport School Committee
The purpose of this update is to provide Freeport citizens a quick summary of where we are on school consolidation.
First, and most important, if you want to learn more about our consolidation work there are a number of places to secure more information. There is our school website. We are doing our best to update it as new developments occur. Attached to our consolidation page are links to the minutes of the Reorganization Planning Committee ("RPC") meetings. Reviewing these notes is an excellent way to see the many subjects being discussed by the RPC. The subjects include (among others) financial costs, governance, property issues, collective bargaining, and other items required by the state's consolidation law to be part of a plan to be submitted to the Commissioner. You are also invited to attend these meetings. These meetings include a public comment segment. The next meetings are as follows:
Wednesday, October 24th 7-9PM Freeport High School Library
Wednesday, November 7th 7-9PM Pownal Elementary School
Wednesday, November 14th 7-9PM Durham Elementary School
Wednesday, November 28th 7-9PM Freeport High School Library
Importantly, we are scheduling a community forum on Tuesday, October 30 at 6:30 pm in the Morse Street School cafeteria. This will be a great opportunity for anyone who has not been able to make an RPC meeting to come and hear/learn more about consolidation, to offer feedback/concerns, and to get your questions answered.
Another way to keep up with some of the issues around school consolidation is reading the Forecaster and/or the Brunswick Times Record. Both of these publications have assigned reporters to follow the work of the RPC. They are doing a good job of providing information about the work of the RPC. We appreciate their diligence in getting this information to the public.
The Superintendent and the Chair of the School Committee are also making the rounds to discuss consolidation. We have met with the teachers in each of our buildings, and will continue to meet with each schools parent teacher organization. On the morning of October 31st we will be meeting with the Rotary, and we hope to meet with other organizations in Freeport. These meetings have been an excellent way to provide an update about the status of consolidation work, and also allow us to secure feedback from members of our community about consolidation.
Finally, we note that a group of parents have come together to promote quality education in Freeport. You can view their website at www.freeportfamilies.org where they provide information about consolidation.
There are a number of important things that we would request that everyone keep in mind regarding consolidation. As a School Committee we are very concerned that there are some misperceptions about our consolidation work. In no particular order, the following are well worth your attention:
Misperceptions
Consolidation is a "done deal" -- One of the things that is very clear to the School Committee is that consolidation is far from being a "done deal". Simply put, no decision has been made regarding consolidation. While it is true that the School Committee is open-minded about consolidation, and believes that consolidation may provide some opportunities for Freeport, we simply do not have the answers that we need to determine whether or not consolidation will work for Freeport. The work of the RPC is crucial in securing us answers to the many questions about consolidation not only for Freeport, but also for Pownal, Durham, and Yarmouth so we as communities can decide whether or not consolidation makes sense for us.
We have to decide by December 1 - December 1 is an important date because the consolidation law requires all school districts in Maine to submit a plan to the Commissioner on that date. However, it has become clear to all of us that preparing the comprehensive plan required by the consolidation law simply cannot be done responsibly by December 1. The Commissioner has recognized this, and has indicated that she will accept plans that are not final for as long as they represent a good-faith effort in studying consolidation. The School Committee sees this as an important legal responsibility and we will be submitting a plan, even if it indicates we need further study of consolidation, on December 1, 2007.
What if we do not agree on a partner - As most people know, we have two RPCs functioning at the same time. One is studying consolidation with Freeport, Pownal and Yarmouth. The other is studying a consolidation of Freeport, Pownal and Durham. Our representatives to the RPC have also agreed that we need to study two other options. These options are no consolidation, and determine the cost of the penalties for failure to consolidate. The other possibility is a scenario where neither Yarmouth nor Durham wish to consolidate with us and whether Freeport and Pownal together might be considered a "doughnut hole". If we were a doughnut hole, we would not have to pay penalties. In the end we have to understand what all the possible models look like in order to decide what is best for Freeport.
There is a lack of public input into the process - As described in detail above, we have done our level best to get as much information as we can out to the public, and to secure public input into the process. Public participation is very important, because an important component of the consolidation law is a public vote on the plan. It is very important that we all recognize this -- it is not the School Committee that ultimately decides whether or not to consolidate, it will be the voters in Freeport. The plan submitted by the School Committee to the Commissioner has to be crafted with the voter approval process in mind. Therefore, we invite comments and concerns from anyone interested in consolidation. You can provide this directly at the public meetings listed above, or e-mail the Superintendent at elaine_tomaszewski@coconetme.org - She will make sure that your e-mail gets to the
right person for a response, and your question and the answer will become part of the public record.
We as a School Committee have fought hard to provide a good educational system for our students. Last spring's budget process with the Town Council is evidence of the passion we have for moving the Freeport school system from being a very good school system to an excellent one. Consolidation has its challenges, but it also has its opportunities. We cannot predict at this time where consolidation will take us. We ask people to keep an open mind, educate themselves about consolidation, ask questions, and support our long held goal of ensuring that all our students receive the best education possible.
Chris Leighton, Chair
On behalf of the
Freeport School Committee
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