When it was introduced, the school consolidation bill needed public input.  Another bill before the Senate, LD 1422, begs for more input from the public.  LD 1422 will force all public schools in Maine to follow an education model called “standards-based education.” SBE moves away from traditional grades and grade levels. Most SBE systems use […]

In light of the recently announced $1.2 million reduction in state aid for Brunswick’s schools, how much are we willing to pay for high-quality public schools? What can we learn by looking back at Brunswick’s long-standing tradition for valuing education? We represent three generations of one family who are Brunswick residents. To check our collective […]

Recently, The Forecaster has been running ads for the Maine Jewish Film Festival that include the headline, “You don’t have to be Jewish to love these films.”  Pictured in the ad are people such as a priest. Clever, yes. Original, no.   Back in the 1960s, when highly creative, much-honored Doyle, Dane & Bernbach won honors for the Volkswagen “Think Small” […]

Though it is safe to say that I am not a very discerning diner, I began to understand last week why Big Macs and Whoppers always seem to make me a little nauseous. It might be that “pink slime,” the ammonia-treated beef trimmings spun into a USDA-approved hamburger helper. Next they’ll probably tell us that […]

When I was doing standup, I would get corporate gigs, which often began with the guy from marketing telling the “three biggest lies” joke.  The corporate world was more rigid then, and marketing was where the rebels hung out. It wasn’t unusual to see a marketing guy wearing a sport coat instead of a suit, […]

The past six months have brought lots of good news for the Portland Public Schools. Our students’ test scores rose dramatically. We received a clean bill of health from our auditors. The School Board adopted a comprehensive plan framework to guide the district. We were awarded the largest competitive grant in the school system’s history […]

As a frequent rider from my home in Scarborough to Bug Light Park in South Portland, I’ve been looking forward to the Wainright Fields-to-Broadway section of the Eastern Trail emerging from under the snow. On a recent sunny Saturday the number of other cyclists, joggers, walkers, and parents with children on this wooded stretch was […]

A headline like the one The Forecaster chose for the recent article, “PTO head: Brunswick school budget gets it wrong,” suggests an adversarial relationship between parents and school administrators and is counter-productive.  My recent comments to the Brunswick School Board and School Department were intended to offer encouragement to those organizations to ask for the resources Brunswick needs […]

I’m writing to extend thanks and appreciation for the article, “Cumberland woman to bike 4,000 miles to fight cancer,” about Molly O’Shea’s participation in the 4K for Cancer bicycle ride. Since the article was published, Molly has received over $1,000 of support from members of the community and much of that, if not all, is […]

I have lived in South Portland all my life and have watched Knightville go from a vibrant downtown shopping area to a place where businesses are struggling to stay alive.  Last summer, when the Farmers Market was in that area, I saw more cars, bicycles and walkers in that neighborhood than I have seen in […]