Although Gov. John Baldacci’s plan to consolidate school districts has been widely criticized as “overly ambitious” and “too aggressive,” he should be commended for finally putting forth a bold proposal that could save this state $240 million.

The plan to consolidate Maine’s 290 school districts into 26 by July of 2008 is obviously coming from a governor in his second term, who’s not worried about getting re-elected.

The plan is definitely ambitious, and getting it accomplished will cost its supporters plenty of political capital. However, making an ambitious proposal and pursuing it aggressively is probably the only way to bring about significant change to the administrative structure of the state’s schools.

Those standing by to see what happens next can plan to hear a litany of problems and pitfalls that await students and schools if this happens. While some of them might be exaggerated by opponents, others likely will be valid. Change like this does not occur without some pain, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile.

Some have criticized the governor for failing to build consensus before making a proposal this drastic. However, building consensus likely would have required one thing – watering down the plan. That’s a strategy the governor tried with Dirigo Health, a program that has been less than successful, to put it mildly.

The governor and legislators have plenty of time to change the plan between now and July of 2008. If the number of school districts proposed by the governor doesn’t make sense, legislators and the governor can make amendments.

However, many already agree the number of school districts in the state need to be reduced. The State Board of Education and the Brookings Institution recommended reducing the number to 65.

The case for consolidation is clear. Maine has 734 students per district compared to a national average of 3,200. The state has one administrator for every 11 teachers – the ninth highest ratio in the country. And, Maine’s school population is shrinking, from a little more than 200,000 to an estimated 177,000 in 10 years.

Despite the overwhelming evidence, consolidating schools will undoubtedly face tremendous opposition – from school administrators, who are interested in keeping their jobs; teachers, who fear the effect it might have on the quality of education; and parents, who are interested in controlling the schools their children attend.

It’s definitely a big change. The only way to get something done facing such opposition is to make an ambitious proposal, set an aggressive timeline and push hard to get it done. Even with this strategy, the state will likely have more school districts than the governor has proposed, and would be lucky to get it done in that amount of time.

Without that strategy, however, the state could spend years worrying over the potential ramifications of these proposals, ultimately accomplishing little.

-Brendan Moran, editor