Question 3 was soundly defeated by a 59% to 41% margin. The decisiveness of this vote, especially in districts that already have consolidated, is proof that Maine people want their tax dollars spent wisely and want to maximize educational opportunities for our kids. Reducing the number of school districts in Maine from 290 to a more affordable and efficient number is sound public policy that moves our state in the right direction. A large majority of Maine voters agreed, and we thank each and every one of them for their support.
Watch the TV Spot, "Shuttleworth"
On November 3rd, Maine voters will be asked whether they want to repeal the school district consolidation reforms passed in 2007. These laws reorganized more than 290 school administrative districts, streamlining the delivery of services and reducing the overall tax burden required to fund school administration.
Here are some important facts:
Repeal of School District Consolidation will cost taxpayers millions of dollars. According to the non-partisan Office of Fiscal and Program Review, school district consolidation can save taxpayers $36 million every year and hundreds of millions of dollars in the future. Repealing the measure will wipe out those savings and will make local property taxes will go up much, much faster.
Repeal of School District Consolidation will hurt our schools and jeopardize educational opportunities for our kids. If it passes, money would be taken from the classroom to pay for more administrative overhead. By reducing overhead and creating more efficient school districts, the measure already has increased educational opportunities for our kids and improved equity across the state. Repeal could jeopardize vital programs like AP courses, Special Education, Gifted and Talented programs and foreign languages.
School district consolidation is working well for Maine. It’s saving taxpayers’ money, reducing unnecessary expense and putting more money in the classroom.
85% of all students in Maine, over 160,000, are already in districts in compliance with the new law.
Over the past thirty years, the number of children in Maine public schools has decreased nearly 20 percent. The average Maine school district now has only 734 students; the national average is 3,200. The reforms passed in 2007 directly addressed these problems and helped to create a smarter, more sustainable public education program for Maine.
The current law reduced the number of school districts, but NO teachers were eliminated. The law simply reduced costly overhead and administration.
