Maine’s School Funding Formula Doesn’t Add Up!

• Our kids are paying the price
• Teachers are loosing their jobs
• We MUST re-examine how we fund education in Maine, so this doesn’t happen to us again.

At the March 4th Scarborough School Board Meeting, while working with the Scarborough School Board on the budget crisis, Representative Flaherty specifically requested that Scarborough residents e-mail him thoughts and concerns around the State’s funding formula for education.

“I will turn in a packet of responses to members of the Education Committee,” Flaherty said.  “I think it is important for those members to understand how the outdated and unfair School Funding Formula affects the every day lives of taxpayers, students, and parents.

Scarborough stood to loose more than $2,000,000 of State aid from the original 2010 budget.  Although recent revenue re-projections may restore about $500,000, Representative Flaherty has said that it is not enough.

“We get hit harder than almost any other district in the State,” Flaherty added, “There is something wrong with the equation, and the Education Committee must work fast to address these issues.”

Representative Flaherty has asked that Scarborough citizens e-mail him at RepSean.Flaherty@legislature.maine.gov or fill out the form below so that he can compile, organize, and submit your concerns.

To submit your thoughts or concerns about the School Budget crisis and how it is affecting your family, please complete the form below:

SAMPLE LETTER:
Dear Legislator,

I know you do not represent my town, but the work you do affects all Maine residents.

- Scarborough lost nearly 30% of its State Aid as a result of State the budget cuts over the last year and ½.
- Our district has some of lowest administrative costs in the State, so cuts to our district are disproportionately harming our kids.
- It may be too late to affect this year’s budget, but we can’t afford to face these types of cuts in future years.

I respectfully urge you, as a member of the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee, to not only “tinker” with this formula, but seriously look at overhauling the way the State allocates much needed school funding.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter,

cforms contact form by delicious:days

STORM SWIM TEAM COACH LOOKS BACK
From the March 5th Scarborough Leader
Written by Martha Williams, Special Contributor

With a strong showing in the state meets and a win in the South Western Conference Championship, Red Storm swimming has reason to be proud.

Coached by Sean Flaherty, class of 2003, and current State Representative from Scarborough, the team continues a proud tradition dating back to 1939, in an era that saw the beginning of interscholastic competition in several sports. Ken Dolloff, class of 1940, swam for Scarborough that year, adding to his accomplishments in track and basketball. He recalled the Triple-C meets held in the Portland YMCA pool and the rivalries among neighboring towns.

Flaherty shared his thoughts on the conclusion of his first season as coach of both the boys and girls swim teams.

“After my first season as coach of the swim team, I certainly had a lot of memories come back.

“I remember the great sportsmanship that our program was so well know for. During the course of four seasons, Scarborough won the state’s sportsmanship award two of those years, both boys and girls. In 2003 Southwestern Swim League officials were so impressed with our great sportsmanship, they awarded us a special sportsmanship banner after the season.  “We had our own goofy inside jokes, like Perry Como, the crooners CD, was exchanged in one of the annual Yankee swap holiday parties, and it became one of the swim team’s unofficial mascots and running jokes. To this day, the Scarborough boys swim team can be heard chanting “P-E-R-R-Y-C-O-M-O, Perry Como!” at any given meet.

“That was one of the best parts about being part of the Scarborough team. Not only were we perennial contenders for state championships during those four years, but we probably had more fun than any other team. At least, it always felt that way.

“We also took three of four conference titles. The only one we lost was by four points and were outscored by 30- plus points in diving, because this was before Scarborough even had a diving team. “I’ll never forget my freshman year, we finished a very strong second place at the state meet after winning a conference title. We had great senior leadership in Tom Hendrix and Jason Schellkopf (who went on to be Scarborough’s assistant coach for five years).

“One of the best races, which parents, kids, coaches and officials still talk about, was the girls 500-yard freestyle in 2003 at the Class B state championship. My younger sister, Jenn, was up against the defending champion in the event, McAuley junior Kary Goodman.   My sister was only a sophomore and both were gunning for the meet record. Goodman had great turns, and powerful underwater speed and started every length of the pool with a good lead. But Jenn would fight back through the water, nearly catching her on each length.

“By the last 100 yards, Jenn was losing less and less on each 25, and by the very last 25, she was dead even after 475 yards. The two girls turned for the final lap and grinded out everything they had left.

“I had never heard a pool so loud. I had the privilege of watching my little sis, attack that last length, and beat the McAuley star to the wall. Both swimmers broke the Class B meet record, but at the end of the day, it was this little sophomore from Scarborough who went on to win the meet. It was amazing and something I will always tell my swimmers about for years to come.

“Coming back to the program as a coach has been so much fun. I had the privilege of coaching one of the top athletes in the state, Robby Gravel, a senior at Scarborough, who because of conflicts with his club team, swam for Scarborough for his first time this season. At the Class A State championship meet, the 200 individual medley was hailed as the “race to watch.” The race didn’t disappoint.  Gravel pulled ahead of Wells after the breaststroke and held off Wells in the freestyle to break the state record I held for eight years.

“I don’t remember a time when two swimmers simultaneously swam faster than a state record, never mind have the current record holder standing on the deck, coaching one of them.

“It was one of the most amazing races to be a part of, and I am so excited that it will stay a Scarborough record.”

Efficiency Maine Awards $635,000 for New Energy Efficiency Projects
Town of Scarborough Secures $33,000 for Infrared Heaters & Lighting Retrofits

Augusta, Maine— The Maine Public Utilities Commission’s Efficiency Maine program announced the award of $635,000 for energy efficiency projects at 19 commercial, municipal and non-profit facilities across Maine.    The funding is provided by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) for commercial energy-related programs in the state.

“Last year, when we established the Efficiency Maine Trust, this is exactly what we had in mind,” said Representative Sean Flaherty (District 127, Scarborough), who serves on the Legislature’s Utilities and Energy Committee.  “I couldn’t be more proud that Scarborough was able to secure part of the grant for some much needed upgrades.”

PUC Chair Sharon Reishus explained, “After a competitive bidding process, we are pleased to have identified 19 projects to receive these valuable funds. The projects all promise significant energy savings, carbon emission reductions and state economic stimulus–which are goals of our state energy policy and the federal program.”

The Commission’s Efficiency Maine worked with the Office of the Governor and the Legislature to set aside $2 million for commercial grants out of the approximately $40 million provided by ARRA  for energy-related projects.  Efficiency Maine also manages separate energy efficiency grants and incentive programs for the residential and industrial sectors.

Efficiency Maine’s Commercial Grant Program–which administers the grants announced today—allowed participants to apply for grants of up to $50,000. Applicants were required to demonstrate the ability to provide matching funds at least equal to the amount of grant funding requested.   Importantly, the funding provided through these grants will leverage $1.28 million in additional private investment. Grant applications were scored on their technical viability, economic impact, energy savings, budget and on the qualifications of the delivery team.  Winning proposals included boiler upgrades, solar thermal systems, and heat recovery projects.

“My number one goal during this legislative session was to ensure that Maine took advantage of tremendous opportunities around energy efficiency and renewable energy,” noted Flaherty, “this is proof that what we are doing is working; and Mainers and Maine small businesses will start seeing immediate benefits.”

Efficiency Maine will conduct a second round of grant applications for the Commercial Grant Program within the coming months.

###

Partisan showdown undermines needs of Maine workers

Contributed by Rep. Flaherty to the Augusta Insider March 1st, 2010

Let me preface this, my first contribution to the Augusta Insider, by saying that I honestly believe most folks who are elected to go to Augusta believe that they can work in a bipartisan fashion. I serve on the Utilities and Energy Committee, which last session had the highest percentage of unanimous committee reports. I can count on one hand, the number of bills that we didn’t come to a consensus on. And, if my memory serves me correctly, only one of those unresolved issues was a result of partisan disagreements.

So I can say with certainty that most of us up here really want to find a way to come together and help the people of Maine.

However, a debate last week on the House floor devolved into a partisan showdown, and Maine workers nearly paid the price.

Under current Maine law, laid off workers have to wait until their unused vacation pay is used up before they can receive unemployment benefits. The legislation in question allows for laid off workers to begin collecting unemployment immediately, regardless of how much vacation pay they have earned.

The rationale behind the bill is simple. Vacation days aren’t salary; they are earned benefits that all workers are entitled to receive should they get laid off. And the fact that a worker saved up some vacation time should not stand in the way his or her access to one of the most important safety nets that our country offers; unemployment.

The issue was one of fairness, and it’s an issue many other states have already addressed. Maine is just now, join them.

Yet despite what should have been a bi-partisan vote in favor of the legislation, what ensued was a nearly completely partisan debate and vote on the bill. Nearly 90 percent of dissenters were Republicans.

Why would Republicans take issue with workers receiving both their unemployment benefits and their unused vacation pay? Because corporate lobbyists suggested that this would result in a .08 percent increase in unemployment insurance. Let me repeat that statistic – .08 percent increase! This equates to those workers being able to potentially receive unemployment benefits a little sooner, when they need it the most.

The bill did not increase unemployment benefits. The bill did not extend the length of time people could receive unemployment benefits. The bill simply stated that a worker doesn’t have to wait to collect their unemployment just because they saved up some of their vacation days.

It’s a matter of equal treatment, in my mind. How is vacation pay any different than the “golden parachutes” that top executives get when they get laid off? It’s not. And the laid off executive doesn’t deserve to collect unemployment any faster than the construction worker who worked hard and saved his vacation time.

I support businesses in Maine and I believe my voting record would prove that. I am also a member of the Bipartisan Moderate Caucus which focuses exclusively on small business issues and attempts to work on a bi-partisan basis to improve (or defeat) legislation that affects Maine businesses.

But today’s vote should not have been framed as anti-business or pro-worker. It was just common sense.

I don’t understand how an elected official could go back home, look their constituents in the eye, and say to workers, “you don’t deserve to receive your unemployment until your old vacation time runs up because it may result in a .08% increase to the unemployment insurance that the people who laid you off may have to pay.”

Too often, we forget that it’s real people, not just statistics, who work these jobs. And it’s working families who suffer the most during hard times.

If there was ever a doubt as to which party is fighting for working families in our State, and which one supports the corporate lobbyists, there shouldn’t be now!

Bill to stimulate, not mandate, energy savings

BY ETHAN WILENSKY-LANFORD, Staff Writer
From the February 23rd, Kennebec Journal

A bill some believe could spark a new industry based on creating efficiencies in the state’s electricity market has garnered the unanimous support of the Legislature’s Utilities and Energy Committee.

L.D. 1647 would require the Public Utilities Commission, which regulates the state’s electricity market, to request contracts for efficiency projects in the same vein it now requests and handles contracts for energy production.

“The wonderful thing about efficiency is that it is cheaper than supply, it is cleaner than supply, and it also creates jobs that cannot be exported,” said House Majority Whip Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham, who sponsored the bill.

The 2009 annual report from Efficiency Maine — the state agency for for efficiency programs that will be spun off from the PUC this summer — said it costs 4.1 cents to save a kilowatt-hour of electricity. The electricity cost for most customers in the state is at least 9 cents per kwh.

If the bill is implemented, Berry said a percentage of ratepayers’ electricity bills would be channeled to the Efficiency Maine Trust, which would implement programs to encourage homeowners and businesses to use less energy.

Berry said 15 percent of a homeowners electricity bill might go to the trust, which then, for example, could help provide new energy-efficient dryers to people with old inefficient models.

Businesses would be able to save even more electricity than homeowners, Berry said, by retrofitting wasteful energy hogs such as old lighting systems with new, more efficient fluorescent lamps. Any industrial system that uses a motor or compressor also could be upgraded.

“Drives and compressors in manufacturing processes often have two speeds — on or off,” Berry said. “If you install today’s technologies, which essentially ramp them up slowly, and only apply the energy when it’s needed, there are tremendous savings that result.”

The bill would allow large industries to contract directly with Efficiency Maine or contractors to act as middlemen to “harvest megawatts” from the grid.

Industrial energy consumers worked with Berry to craft an amendment to allow the PUC to buy renewable energy certificates, or RECs , which are issued when a power generator produces energy by renewable means, such as burning wood chips.

Statute requires a growing percentage of Maine’s and other state’s energy output to be renewable; this gives these certificates a market value. With this bill, the PUC could allow ratepayers to essentially invest in renewable energy through this mechanism.

Central Maine Power Company had opposed the bill but its spokesman, John Carroll, said the company supported it after the committee made several changes.

“We actually think that the process has been constructive, and we’re satisfied that the committee has been able to satisfy many of our concerns with the bill,” Carroll said.

One change Carroll said he liked — made Thursday, shortly before the committee voted to support the bill — gives the PUC discretion, instead of a mandate, on whether to enter into efficiency contracts.

“It makes it a lot better bill,” said Rep. Ken Fletcher, R-Winslow. “We can’t just put this thing on automatic pilot. We think that this is such a critical area that we need to let the PUC, through their deliberations, exercise their discretion.”

The PUC already has the power to require utilities to enter into these types of contracts, and has made efficiency a “top priority” for bid acceptance, PUC spokeswoman Evelyn deFrees said. It has not, however, entered into any contracts requiring utilities to provide efficiencies to ratepayers, so far.

Dear Editor:

Last week’s article in the Scarborough Leader (“Groups seek to ensure play open to all”) made some very strong points regarding High School sports in Scarborough.  However, it failed to mention that at least two teams at the Varsity level already have significant financial burdens.

Scarborough obviously doesn’t have the facilities to support this program, yet the school offers to pick up only half of the very expensive pool time.  As a result, the 71 member team (which has only just 2 coaches) is split up daily and bussed off to separate facilities in Portland.

What does this mean for our athletes?  Each swimmer or diver is expected to pay or fundraise $150 dollars just to be part of our team.  Additionally, our athletes are expected to purchase their own equipment and team gear.

So while other athletes and families are now facing fees and fundraising, let’s not forget that there are already programs at Scarborough High School who face these financial burdens and have been doing so since the program’s inception 14 years ago.

As Scarborough’s the largest sport with more than 70 athletes, and arguably one of the most successful (both the Boy’s and Girls’ team finished Runners Up at this years’ Class A Swimming Championship), I hope that members of the school board and our community understand that pushing the burden on our swim team any further would spell even greater hardship to a program that has had already faced tremendous obstacles and yet always finds a way to be successful.

State Rep. Sean Flaherty
District 127 (Scarborough)
Head Varsity Swimming and Diving Coach

AUGUSTA, MAINE - A bill sponsored by Representative Sean Flaherty of Scarborough was voted unanimously “Ought to Pass” today by the legislature’s Utilities and Energy Committee.  The bill, LD 1646 (HP 1174) “An Act To Establish a Broadband Policy for Maine,” will help to better utilize stimulus funds and deliver high speed broad band internet connectivity to many un-served and under-served areas of Maine.

“This is a huge win for small businesses in some of the most rural areas of Maine,” said Representative Flaherty, “In the digital age, Maine must be able to compete, and this bill helps to enable us to do so.”

The bill will now move to the full Maine House of Representatives for approval.

HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMING STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS: Morse takes Class A title

BY KEVIN THOMAS

BRUNSWICK — Morse High swimming coach Todd Marco arrived for the finals of the Class A state girls state swimming and diving championship Tuesday night with a newly-styled mohawk, courtesy of his swimmers.

“I told the girls they could do it if they swam well in the morning,” Marco said.

Imagine what they will do to their coach now.

Morse followed a strong preliminary performance with a top-notch effort in the finals to capture the state championship at Bowdoin College. It was the Shipbuilders’ first-ever girls swimming state title.

Morse, led by junior Emily Buczkowski’s wins in the 50 and 100 freestyle, totaled 255points.

Scarborough, which finished second in the boys meet on Monday, took second again, with 210 in the girls competition.

Red Storm junior Scarborough junior Laura Flewelling paced her team with two individual wins, in the 200 freestyle (1:53.56) and 500 freestyle (5:17.23

Cheverus likewise repeated its third-place finish from the boys meet Monday with 198 points on Tuesday.

The Messalonskee High School girls finished fifth with 159 points. The Cony girls were ninth with 115.

Jenni Roberts, the sensational senior from Sanford, made it a three-peat Tuesday with her third straight Performer of the Meet honor.

Roberts, headed to the University of Maryland on a swimming scholarship, set state records in the 200 individual medley (2:04.63) and 100 butterfly (55.89).

Roberts qualified for All-American status in both.

“I was dying in the 100 fly,” Roberts said. “I felt good in the first 50, and then I just gave everything I had left.”

In previous meets, Roberts had set state records in the 100 freestyle (52.46) and 100 backstroke (56.90).

Other individual winners Tuesday included Brunswick freshman Jessica Russell in the 100 backstroke (59.76), Deering freshman Genevieve Worthely in the 100 breaststroke (1:07.50) and Bangor senior diver Meghan Rowe.

The girls meet figured to come down to Morse, Scarborough and Cheverus. The Shipbuilders set themselves up well in the morning, qualifying all three relay teams and eight individuals in the championship finals, plus eight swimmers in the consolation finals.

Scarborough had six individual spots and two relay teams in the championship finals, plus one diver. Cheverus had five individuals and three relay teams in the championship finals, and two divers.

Scarborough jumped out in the first event, winning the 200 medley relay in 1:56.15. Flewelling’s butterfly leg (27.84) put the Red Storm in the lead for good. Dayna Ankermann, Samantha Couillard and Lucy Iselborn made up the rest of the relay.

Flewelling rested briefly and won the next event, the 200 freestyle.

The Red Storm had scored 66 points, but the shipbuilders’ depth kept them close. In the 200 freestyle, three Morse swimmers placed — Caitlin Foster (fifth), Casandra Bonnett (13th) and Catie Luedee (14th).

In the diving, Bangor won four of the top five places, paced by Rowe’s 308.65 points. Brunswick junior Kayla Purinton finished second (303.8). The Rams, always strong in the diving, jumped in second place temporarily.

Messalonskee had a pair of relay teams earned third-place finishes and the Eagles picked up five top five finishes.

The Eagles 200 medley relay team of Lindsey Prelgovisk, Samantha Mathieu, Amanda Joy and Samantha Briggs finished third with a time of 1:57.02. Their 200 free team of Prelgovisk, Briggs, Courtney Klaiber and Mathieu was also third with a time of 1:46.28.

Also for Messalonskee, Mathieu was fourth in the 100 free and the 100 back, Prelgovisk was third in the 100 fly, and Joy was fourth in the 200 free and the 500 free.

The Cony 400 free relay team finished second with a time of 3:59.48.

The team consisted of Victoria Weber, Liz Barker, Alyssa Dufour and Phoebe Campbell. Also for the Rams, Weber finished second in the 100 free with a time of 1:01.62.

Testimony of Rep. Sean Flaherty to the Joint Committee on Utilities and Energy:

Members of the Joint Committee on Utilities and Energy, I am Sean Flaherty, and I represent District 127.

It’s my pleasure to present to you, LD 1578, An Act To Provide for Equitable Sharing by Service Providers of the Costs of the Public Utilities Commission and the Office of the Public Advocate.

Simply put, this bill, if enacted, will bring the newer forms of telecom providers into the pool of communication technologies which are assessed by us, the legislature, to help fund both the PUC and the OPA.   Specifically, this bill affects some newer forms of telecommunications which have been commercialized in Maine since the assessment law was first enacted.

Let me be clear, this will not increase the funding the PUC and OPA receive, but it will broaden the pool of entities who will share the cost of the budgets of the PUC and OPA. By ensuring that all telecommunications technologies share in the assessment, it would actually slightly reduce the portions of the PUC and OPA budgets which are currently being paid by utilities covered by the assessments law.

More veteran members of this committee will recall that this idea was first proposed by the Telephone Association of Maine (TAM) a few years ago during the this Committee’s periodic review of the Public Utilities Commission.

However, at that time, the committee felt it would be better if the issue were put forward as a separate bill.  As a result, we now have the opportunity.

Clean sweep for Gravel; another win for Bangor
KEVIN THOMAS, Staff Writer

From the Portland Press Herald February 15th, 2010

BRUNSWICK — Bangor High again brought enough depth and divers to win the Class A boys´ swimming and diving championship Monday night at Bowdoin College.

The Rams did not win one individual swimming event, but still earned plenty of points (319.5) to cruise to the title. Bangor won the 200-yard freestyle relay and also got 37 points from its three divers, including winner Tim Smith.

Scarborough (270) finished second, followed by Cheverus (244), Windham (203) and Cape Elizabeth (201).

“I felt we needed to win one relay,” Bangor Coach Phil Emory said. “But obviously the depth was the big thing. We just kept pounding away.”

Scarborough senior Robby Gravel was named the top performer of the meet with two individual victories, while also taking part in the winning medley relay team.

Cheverus sophomore Cal Rhode was the only other swimmer to win two individual events. Rhode touched the wall first in the 200 and 500 freestyle races, in 1:46.18 and 4:51.56.

In the race of the night, Gravel beat Morse´s powerful senior, James Wells, in the 200 individual medley. Both beat the state record with times of 1:55.08 and 1:55.29 respectively. Scarborough Coach Sean Flaherty had held the record (1:55.96) since 2002.

Flaherty bounced up and down the side of the pool as Gravel held off Morse on the final freestyle leg.

“To be broken like that, that´s how I wanted it,” Flaherty said of the thrilling finish. Wells had faster splits in three of the four legs, but Gravel caught him on the third leg with a 32.99 split in the breast stroke, to Morse´s 35.64.

“I knew Robby would be gunning for me in the breast stroke,” Wells said. “I expected him to go 35 or 34 (seconds), and he went 33.”

That was the plan, Gravel said.

“I knew he was amazing in the fly and backstroke. I knew I had to make up ground in the breast stroke. (And in the freestyle) I just put my head down and went for it.”

Wells did get to bring home a new state record. He broke his own mark in the 100 backstroke by two-tenths of a second, winning in 49.68.

Gravel continued his mastery of the breast stroke by winning the 100-yard individual race in 59.63.

Gravel also swam the backstroke leg of the winning 200 medley relay to start the meet. It was a family affair with brothers Kip and Jerry on the relay, anchored by Mark Endrizzi.

Kip Gavel also won the 100 freestyle (48.95).

Westbrook senior Keegan Goan won the 100 butterfly (54.42).

Deering senior George Mandic won a bunched-up 50 freestyle in 22.65, ahead of Edward Little´s Tim Brodsky (22.73) and Cape Elizabeth´s Marcus Cloutier (22.94).

In the diving, Smith, a senior, beat runner-up Brian McRae of Deering, 374.70 to 366.40. They were followed by Kevin Flathers of Cape Elizabeth, Travis Wibby of South Portland, and Deering´s David Wells.

Bangor´s top swimmer was senior Joey Quinn, who took a pair of second places, in the 200 and 100 freestyle races.

Quinn also anchored the winning 200 free relay (1:31.12) that all but clinched the meet for the Rams. Bangor eked past Scarborough in the race by 0.27 seconds.

While the Rams pulled away, Scarborough was briefly in a battle with Cheverus for second. The Stags took second after the sixth event, paced by Trebor Lawton (second) and Cameron Lindsley (fifth) in the butterfly.

But Kip Gavel´s 100 free win followed that, and Endrizzi finished seventh for the Red Storm. Scarborough was back in second place for good.

Windham, in only its fourth year, grabbed fourth place after winning the final event, the 400 freestyle relay, with Nick Sundquist, Jake Shoberg, Nathan Paluso and Lance Webster.

Bangor´s four-peat was not historic. The Rams won four straight titles from 1993-1996, and five straight from 1986-90.

Staff writer Kevin Thomas can be reached at 791-6411 or:
kthomas@pressherald.com