As a member of the school board of
RSU/MSAD 40, I was recently asked by a citizen of my town to sum up what was
happening on the local education front. What follows constitutes my response.
Dear____________,
In replying to your questions please understand
above all else that I speak only for
myself as a private citizen and Board member, not for the Board as a whole.
With that understood:
Perhaps the biggest problem facing RSU/MSAD 40 is
the same faced by all Maine districts--funding.
We
are facing the very ugly menace of the possible Sequester of education (and
other) funding on January 2, 2013. For an explanation see: http://www.aasa.org/uploadedFiles/Policy_and_Advocacy/files/AASA%20Sequestration%20July%202012.pdf
as well as http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/.
The
Maine DOE in anticipation of Sequestration has suggested that districts keep within 75% of budget while this
threat remains. After placing our children on a very lean education “diet” we
are being told to cut back still further.
Congress
is dragging its feet on the re-authorization of the ESEA (now known as NCLB—No Child
Left Behind). This law in its current form obviously needs extensive amending
Because Maine public schools rely heavily upon funding provided through NCLB, we are applying for easements from some of NCLG’s more onerous
requirements (http://www.pressherald.com/news/finding-new-way-to-grade-schools_2012-09-04.html?pageType=mobile&id=1)
Here
in Maine, most of our schools are eligible for Title 1 funding that goes to
schools where 40% or more of the students receive free or reduced price
lunches. Even a cursory internet search of either NCLB or ESEA with emphasis on
“re-authorization” will reveal much to the curious.
5 Some
Maine districts already are receiving push-back from their taxpayers when
proposed education budgets are submitted. Less federal funding, the federal threat
of sequestration of much of what is provided and with the state unable or
unwilling to meet their legal share of education funding even with a formula that
is under review for its possible (read definite) unfairness to rural schools are joining together to place public school districts between a rock and a hard place.
6 Add to this the specter of needed local funds
being siphoned off by charter, digital, and other private-enterprise-for-profit
and non-profit schools in the name of “choice” and the problem grows
exponentially. Large private corporations are moving into a perceived vacuum seeing
much potential profit in Maine’s educational dollars. Unlike these new entities, Maine’s
public schools, with little appreciation and growing criticism, must and do provide
an education to all Maine's
citizens
.
With regard to a Digital Learning Policy; as a state
we have none. Although our legislature has made some progress (Maine Revised
Statute Title 20-A, Chapter 802: MAINE ONLINE LEARNING PROGRAM) the state DOE has dropped the ball. Unlike
the state of Washington which leads the way in examining and proposing policy
in this crucial area (http://digitallearning.k12.wa.us/about/reports/Online_Learning_District_Policy_Report_to_Legislature.pdf),
(http://www.pressherald.com/opinion/state-has-outsourced-policy-on-virtual-schools_2012-09-05.html)
and (http://bangordailynews.com/2012/09/06/opinion/would-you-send-your-child-to-a-virtual-school/)
Also on the policy front: This was a very busy year
for the Maine Legislature as they considered and passed a record number of
Bills directly affecting public schools—so many that I found it necessary to
attend a full day seminar given by the legal firm Drummond and Woodsum to try
to understand the implications for the district I serve. Among the new Laws
that will each require substantial work on local policy, are:
Changes to Maine’s Freedom of Access
Statute
Changes to Maine’s Teacher and Principal
Evaluation Laws
Changes to Maine’s Student Expulsion
Statute
Amendments to Maine’s Truancy Law
Changes to Maine’s Bullying Statute
Standards-Based Graduation Requirements
Changes to Student Enrollment Laws
Changes to Main’s Rules on Student
Restraint and Seclusion
New Statute and Rules dealing with Head
Injury/Concussion
This is a very busy year
for our education professionals and policy makers. I can only pray that all
this effort somehow compliments the education of our children. As parents,
grandparents and citizens it up to us to guarantee it does. No government
entity will do it for us.
