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The first one being when it was passed it was incorporated into the budget, as an “emergency measure” State budgets should not be used for huge policy changes such as this. The consolidation law has many undemocratic aspects in it. School unions share administration and Superintendents. Towns in School Unions where each town runs its own schools and share a central office and Superintendent are each considered a separate school district. The figures of 290 districts are also misleading. Maine went from having 290 school districts down to 217 in June of 2009. Some plans were approved and many others were voted down. After “good faith” efforts, the planning committees submitted their best efforts to the state for approval and then to local voters. The law was passed and after “guidance” from the Maine Department of Education, Regional Planning Committees were formed to create the new school districts under the law. This governance structure gave another path to consolidation. In 2008, another school administrative structure called an AOS (Alternative Organizational Structure) was made an option where school districts could consolidate and not form an RSU. The law was passed that if you do not vote for consolidation for your school district to join an RSU, then your district penalty in its subsidy from the state. RSU have a SAD governance model and weighted votes on a large school board based on population. This included reduced amounts for system administration, facilities and maintenance, and also transportation. $36.5 million dollars was removed from the 2008-2010 Maine state budget for education subsidies to schools. After debate in the Legislature, the law was passed in June 0f 2007 which set a goal of 80 school districts, all to be RSUs or Regional School Units with a minimum size of 2,500 students or 1,200 if you met certain criteria such as being geographically isolated. School administrative consolidation was included in Governor Baldacci’s 2008-2010 budget as an “emergency measure” and originally was going to consolidate Maine’s school districts from 290 school districts to 26. I hope that other teachers and school staff members vote and will encourage others vote to overturn the law. As a teacher, I am working to repeal the law. Question 3 on Maine’s ballot this year has to deal with the repeal of Maine’s 2007 school administrative consolidation law.