Maine voters asked to reverse K-12 school mergers - Fosters:
"PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Dozens of school districts across the state have merged with the goal of cutting administrative costs under Maine's school district consolidation law. Voters will be asked to decide on Election Day whether to undo the whole thing.
Consolidation supporters say that scuttling the law would make a mess of things, not to mention eliminate millions of dollars in savings. Critics of the law, including House Speaker Hannah Pingree and Senate President Libby Mitchell, say it should be repealed.
'We're not against consolidation. We're against mandatory consolidation — especially if it doesn't make sense,' said Skip Greenlaw, whose Maine Coalition to Save Schools is leading the repeal effort.
School consolidation supporters point to an analysis by the Maine Legislature's Office of Fiscal and Program Review that says repealing the law would cost $37 million a year. But critics say there's no way to quantify those numbers and that the consolidation may be costly in the long run."
"PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Dozens of school districts across the state have merged with the goal of cutting administrative costs under Maine's school district consolidation law. Voters will be asked to decide on Election Day whether to undo the whole thing.
Consolidation supporters say that scuttling the law would make a mess of things, not to mention eliminate millions of dollars in savings. Critics of the law, including House Speaker Hannah Pingree and Senate President Libby Mitchell, say it should be repealed.
'We're not against consolidation. We're against mandatory consolidation — especially if it doesn't make sense,' said Skip Greenlaw, whose Maine Coalition to Save Schools is leading the repeal effort.
School consolidation supporters point to an analysis by the Maine Legislature's Office of Fiscal and Program Review that says repealing the law would cost $37 million a year. But critics say there's no way to quantify those numbers and that the consolidation may be costly in the long run."