Streamline School Administration

In spite of declining enrollment, Maine is spending more than ever on school administration. Young families dispersing into suburbs are bringing rising school costs and increased property taxes to formerly rural communities, while community schools in older communities empty out and shut down.

Quality education is crucial to our future prosperity, but inefficient administrative spending keeps us from investing our resources where they matter most: in the classroom.

Follow this link to learn more about current legislation to streamline Maine's school administration.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Streamline School Administration

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

Please reform Maine's school administrative systems in order to free up substantial savings for Maine's students and community schools.

Our decades-old district divisions force us to spend millions on new school buildings while community schools in older neighborhoods empty out and close down.

The recent GrowSmart/Brookings report recommended reducing our administrative spending as a way to focus more of our limited resources in our classrooms, where it matters most.

I appreciate the Legislature's efforts on this important issue. Let's modernize and streamline school administration in Maine.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
May 07, 2007

Background Information

The Brookings report, 'Charting Maine's Future,' makes specific recommendations for streamlining the governance of K-12 Education. GrowSmart Maine and the Brookings Institution welcome the Legislature's attention to this issue, and we have submitted the following specific recommendations for the streamlining plan:

1. Use the Essential Programs and Services framework to reduce system administration expenditures to the vicinity of $195/student. This reduction yields about $25 million in annual budget savings - money which can be better spent.

2. Support regional collaboration and begin the work to dramatically reduce the number of school administrative units. Nationally, a typical school district has about 3,000 students. Using that figure as a guide, Maine would have 64 school administrative units.

3. Develop a statewide K-12 capital expenditure plan conceived from a more regional perspective. A capital plan would ensure that the state's future investments in construction and renovation are made rationally and that school buildings are adequately maintained in all communities. Our local-oriented capital system frequently fails to consider how to maximize the use of existing facilities across regions (and even district lines).

4. In new, larger districts, make it difficult to close a local community school. It is very clear that Maine people value their local schools and consider these schools the very heart of their communities - even if it costs a bit more to keep them open. We heard this repeated over and over again in our 45 listening sessions as we developed 'Charting Maine's Future' and we heard it again in your public hearings on the Governor's plan for administrative consolidation.

The Maine Legislature has set up this web site with links to news articles and current legislation regarding Maine's school administration.