The biggest challenge facing incoming school board members will be ushering school districts into the age of consolidation. More than ever, school boards will have to communicate well with the community to get support for the budgets they put forward. Experience with budgets and a willingness to reach out to the community will be more important than ever.

Voters in Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough are lucky to have competitive races for all school board seats. Unfortunately, in many communities, candidates for the school board often run unopposed.

In Cape Elizabeth, newcomers John P. Kennealy and Michael J. Foley are challenging incumbent Rebecca J. Millett for two seats on the school board. Our first nod has to go to Millett, who has done a good job in her first term. The experience she gained during that time will serve her and the district well, as it adjusts to the new school consolidation law. Millett recognizes the need to communicate with the public and her background in finance will help her present the budget to them.

Our second endorsement was too close to call. We liked both of these candidates for different reasons. Foley, who returned to town a year ago after growing up in Cape, has a background in finance, but it was his enthusiasm that struck us the most. Kennealy is the man with experience. At 66 years old, he has experience on the zoning board, planning board and in corporate management. He won bonus points with us for suggesting the schools would be better off offering Chinese than Latin.

In Scarborough, newcomers Samuel J. Cofone, John D. Cole and Brian M. Dell’Olio are vying for two three-year seats, and incumbent Dianne M. Messer and school board veteran Jacquelyn A. Perry are running for one two-year seat. In the race for the three-year seat, our endorsements go to Cole and Dell’Olio.

With experience in information technology at Unum Corp., Fairchild Semiconductor and Duracell Battery, Cole said he would take a positive and proactive approach to dealing with other board members and school administrators. He, too, recognized the need for good communication as the schools adapt to the new consolidation law. He also had a concrete idea for saving some money – reorganizing bus routes. Whether his idea ultimately saves money or not, it shows he’s thinking critically about the schools and is willing to offer suggestions for change.

Dell’Olio is a young man who graduated from Scarborough High School just six years ago and already has a lot to offer. He worked as the director of the multi-cultural center at Beloit College after graduating form Marymount University in 2005. He also interned in U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe’s office. While some of his rhetoric seems a bit dramatic – he calls Wentworth Intermediate School a “ticking time bomb” – he understands the issues facing the school district and the need for getting the public involved.

In the race for a two-year seat, residents have two experienced candidates. Voters would be well served by both of these candidates, but our nod goes to Messer, who has now served only one term on the board, as opposed to Perry, who has been on and off the board since the 1970s. Messer has been making a contribution in the last three years and deserves an opportunity to continue. She often offers a viewpoint contrary to others, but that’s important for healthy debates.

Vote ‘no’ on high school bond

South Portland voters will be asked whether they want to spend $55 million on a new high school. While there are problems at the high school that need to be addressed, including aging mechanical systems and asbestos-covered pipes, this project is simply too expensive for taxpayers to foot the entire bill without any assistance from the state.

The high school isn’t the only large construction project taxpayers in South Portland might be facing. The city is also considering renovating the armory as a new City Hall, and the school department has to address problems at the two middle schools. Before voters decide to spend this much money on the high school, the city needs to step back, assess all of its needs and determine which projects should be a priority and which residents can afford.

Brendan Moran, editor