CARIBOU, Maine — Governor Paul LePage recently mentioned that he plans to have superintendents paid via local, instead of state, taxes when he works on the upcoming budget. His statements, while they were made with the intention of focusing money on students and teachers instead of the administration itself, have been controversial among Maine school administrators.
The comments came from an Oct. 4 appearance on WVOM’s George Hale/Ric Tyler Show, in which he suggested the primary issue with Maine schools is that money is being spent “on the administration and not in the classroom.”
“We have 127 superintendents for 177,000 students,” LePage said. “The state of Florida ranks number seven as having the best education in America, and they have three million kids with 64 superintendents. That’s where the problem is; we’re spending money on the administration of our schools and not in the classroom. I think the teachers and students are the two victims of the school system, while the union and superintendent’ association are the two winners.”
The governor added that Maine has spent a significant amount of money on education.
“In 2011, $892 million was spent by my administration for K-12 education,” LePage said, “and this year that has gone up to $1.1 billion. I have been the most pro-education governor in the history of this state.”
LePage said that, when he goes over the future budget, costs for superintendents will have to be paid by residents within their respective districts.
When RSU 39 Superintendent Tim Doak heard about LePage’s comments, he said it conflicted with information presented during a recent executive meeting with Education Commissioner William Beardsley.
“He (Beardsley) presented us with a spreadsheet that contained 111 items generating costs for education in Maine,” Doak said. “The cost for superintendents dropped 4 percent over time and actually costs less than before, so I’m not sure where he’s (LePage) getting his information. We’re at a loss as to why he would publicly say this.”
Doak also mentioned that, in Florida, their superintendents don’t oversee transportation, special education, or gifted and talented programs.
“Maine superintendents have to multitask,” Doak said. “I can’t say I’m against having less of them but at the same time, moving the cost to locals is not fair in these economic times.”
If these proposals become a reality, Doak says that the result will likely create higher taxes.
“We would have to shift the workload to other people,” said Doak, “and in doing so, you’d have to hire more people underneath the superintendent to oversee elementary and secondary education, so we wouldn’t be saving any money.”
The superintendent said there will be another executive board meeting with Beardsley in November and expects the governor’s comments to be a topic of conversation at that time.
