Editor:

As an Arundel parent of two school age children, I would like to express my concern about the vote for school consolidation in November. I have attended nearly every meeting in the past 18 months concerning reorganization, as well as virtually all of our school board meetings. I have done so because I believe education to be essential to the future of all our communities, and when it came time to vote, I wanted to be well informed.

I am alarmed at the misinformation I hear from many members of each town. Some people are suddenly voicing concerns that have already been addressed. It is written in the law that high school choice cannot be taken away. That is the law. Only the town can vote to eliminate that, not the RSU. There are also the prophecies of broken contracts. The law requires, and the RSU committee has clearly stated, all contracts will be honored.

My greatest concern however, is the misleading statement that it will be cheaper for the taxpayers to take the penalties rather than to consolidate. Get informed, get to a meeting, get on the Web site, get on the phone with an RSU committee member, and learn why this is a grave misunderstanding of the penalties.

The approximate penalties of $120,100 in Arundel, and $630,000 in SAD 71, are based on the current budget, which will increase next year. This means these estimates are likely to be low. It is also important to remember these cuts from our school budget along with the 2 percent higher mil rate, will increase annually, just as the costs to run our schools will.

Regardless of the outcome of the reorganization vote, the next school budget will be challenged with renegotiating teacher contracts, the capital needs of the buildings, as well as the rising energy costs. The state of Maine has made it clear that it will need to continue to reduce funding for education. The money has to come from somewhere. As the cost of education continues to shift to local taxpayers, we will need to make some difficult decisions. It could result in the loss of positions, and will definitely result in programming cuts, affecting the quality of education in all of our towns.

The school boards and RSU committee have been accused of using “scare tactics” to force the public’s hand. It is not a “scare tactic,” but a reality that they have been facing for 18 months.

The RSU committee has been working toward creating a system that will have as minimal impact on the existing schools and communities as possible, while maintaining the quality and high standards that currently exist in our schools.

Taxes are going to increase whether we reorganize or not. Through reorganization we have an opportunity to maintain our schools, and a chance at providing all our kids with new opportunities and an excellent education.

If we chose to take the penalties, we will eventually devastate our school systems, and we will have nothing to show for the extra taxes that we will be paying.

It is that simple, we can choose to use the increased taxes to provide new opportunities and maintain our excellence in education, or, still have increased taxes, and lose quality in the education we are currently providing our kids.

I am going to vote yes for education, and, I am going to vote yes for reorganization.

Leia Lowery

Arundel