Late in the game, the Legislative Education and Cultural Affairs Committee will be receiving four education bills from Gov. LePage’s desk. Also supported by the Commissioner of Education Stephen Bowen, these bills may be the basis of public discussion for the next weeks as they are debated and resolved. In fact, the four bills’ initial public hearings will have occurred before you read this column. The four bills are:

LR 2776 An Act to Enhance Career and Technical Education

LR 2775 An Act to Expand Educational Opportunities for Maine Families

LR 2774 An Act to Remove Inequity in the Funding of Certain Schools

LR 2773 An Act to Ensure Effective Teaching and School Leadership

I have already received 55 emails on these issues. Looking at each email as I prepare to answer them I note: one is from a school in my district, most are copied to the teachers union, have very similar format, are from a lifelong educator, love kids, do not seem to like our governor and are most concerned about the bill that would ensure effective teaching and school leadership (LR 2773). This bill will, among other things, change the evaluation process in school systems.

Currently, even when done well, the teacher evaluation system is bulky. When not done well is a disservice to educators who deserve regular feedback. Teacher evaluation is possibly the principal’s most important task and adds to the various paperwork that keeps principals away from kids.

Of note, the key issue for the union is that it will change the grievance procedure for educators in that they will not be able to grieve the outcome of their evaluation, only matters relating to the implementation of the evaluation system. The new process would allow a school system to remove an educator who has two “bad” evaluations in a row. Of the emails I have received, most complain that giving the administrators the ability to evaluate and the ability to remove teachers in such a way would be giving administrators too much power and control.

I wrote back to a few teachers as their emails appeared similar. I asked them specifically what parts of the law bothered them and the response was they had not really read the bill. (The typical answer to most any complaint I get). The theme of most letters (to me) was that we can’t trust administrators to do the right thing. Now I realize this is a small sample of all teachers but I do hope there is not as much distrust in school leadership as is being shared with me. In most other work sites, this is the system that is used, the supervisor works to evaluate the employee and wants to grow and nurture that employee because they add to the business, not use the tool to destroy the employee.

I have been asked to sponsor LR 2774 (see above) which would allow funding for “religious schools.” The bill simply says a school cannot be denied funding simply because they are a religious school. Any school (think Cheverus or St. Dom’s) who wants to access the monies would have to follow all state requirements to operate a school. Depending on the schedule, I will look at this issue next time. The education committee meets regularly; you often hear that we do our work for the “kids.” You also hear that our education system (not teachers, but system) is not working. I see this funding bill as a chance to prove that. Are we as a state in the business of funding institutions or do we want to pay to educate our children?

God bless you all!

Rep. Mike McClellan, a Republican, represents Raymond, Frye Island and parts of Standish and Poland. He can be reached at 329-6148 or [email protected] or on Facebook at “Mike McClellan Politician.”