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Rep. Millett Bill Would Empower Schools To Act

Flexible Schedules to Cope with Tight Budgets

AUGUSTA – State Rep. Sawin Millett today formally presented a bill to give Maine schools greater scheduling flexibility to help them cope with tight budgets and high heating costs. The bill is LD 96, An Act to Authorize the Implementation of Modified School Year Calendars.

In his testimony before the Legislature’s Education and Cultural Affairs Committee, Rep. Millett said his bill does not prescribe a four-day school week and imposes no mandates on any school system. He stressed that academic quality must not be compromised. Schools would still be under the requirement to provide a minimum of roughly 900 hours of education time, but they could change the current schedule, which requires 180 schools days, to save money. By lengthening the school day, for example, schools could amass enough instructional time to shut down for days or weeks during the coldest weather to avoid heating costs.

Rep. Millett (R-Waterford), a retired educator and a former Maine commissioner of education, said school budgets could be tight for some time. “While the cost of energy fuels has come down significantly since I filed this legislation, I doubt any of us would want to conclude that today’s prices will remain stable into the distant future,” he said.

“Further, the $27 million reduction in General Purpose Aid to local school systems that we will be voting on this week is likely to be reflected in similar funding levels over the next two fiscal years,” he said. “Thus the need for budgetary flexibility in constructing school budgets will be an important local consideration over the next two years, if not for the long term.”

Rep. Millett emphasized during his testimony that this does not mandate that schools do anything different than they are doing now. The legislation only would give schools the option to use their creativity and imagination to devise workable alternatives. “It authorizes the commissioner of education to consider modified school year calendars under the minimum school year statutes,” he said. “I am submitting this bill in the hope that it will provide budgetary flexibility and stimulate creative thinking and positive local discussion amongst school officials, teachers, parents and students as they plan future school calendars in an era of limited resources.”

State Rep. Thomas Watson (D-Bath), a cosponsor of the bill, also spoke at the committee hearing. He said such complications as child care and school athletic schedules would be handled locally.

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