Lawmakers revise school consolidation law, press toward adjournment

AUGUSTA, Maine — Billed to happen at the start of this year’s legislative session, a package of revisions to Maine’s sweeping school system consolidation law won final approval Friday as the extended session drew toward an end.

The Legislature gave final approval this morning to a revised bill that would allow the consolidation of school districts across the state. It also provides for school districts with less than 1,200 students, such as Kittery’s, to continue on as separate entities.

The House voted 92-41 on Thursday night, and the Senate voted Friday morning, 22-12.

The legislation was not put forth by Gov. John Baldacci, as was the original bill requiring the consolidation of school districts in order to save money at the state level. It was sponsored by Sen. Peter Bowman, D-York, the chairman of the joint legislative committee on education.

“This should complete the bills concerning education for this session,” Bowman said Friday.

LD 2323 included nearly all of the provisions of the bill written by the Education Committee, including the three non-controversial financial fixes in recommended in the original Majority Report, as well as several technical and other amendments added by the Committee. There is every indication that Baldacci will sign the bill into law, said his Deputy Director of Communication Joy Leach.

The new measure is designed to preserve local cost-sharing agreements and allow for creation of smaller-than-standard units in special circumstances. It also would allow the state education commissioner to approve alternative organizational structures not written into the original law.

Additionally, the bill moves the Nov. 4 deadline for communities to approve reorganization plans by referendum to Jan. 30, 2009.

Last year’s law was designed to consolidate Maine’s 290 school districts into about 80.

Other business

For a second day, with House and Senate leaders pushing toward final adjournment, lawmakers were earning daily premium pay of $100 after extending this year’s legislative sessions beyond the original April 16 adjournment deadline.

In final routine voting, the Legislature enacted a measure to establish a unified coordinated corrections system designed to coordinate purchasing, transportation and bed management between Maine’s county jails and the state’s prison system.

Local property tax assessments for jail operations are to be capped at 2008 levels. The legislation creates a nine-member state board of corrections. Board duties will include determining uses for county facilities and approving budgets. The board also will review capital construction proposals.

“We began this process with a system that everyone agrees is too costly and which does not work well for inmates or for taxpayers. We have today the prescription for a unified system that reduces costs and improves services,” Gov. John Baldacci, who signed the bill almost immediately, said in a statement.

The state Department of Corrections currently has 100 more prisoners than it has available beds, according to legislative backers of the consolidation package.

Also winning passage Friday was a bill authorizing a $3.4 million bond issue to support drinking water programs and the construction of wastewater treatment facilities.

Supporters said that if voters approve the proposed bonding in November, Maine communities will be eligible to receive $17 million in federal matching funds.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.

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