A RACE to the BOTTOMMEA Members: On Tuesday I met with members of the Stakeholder Group on Graduation Requirements that monitors Maine's high school graduation requirements. During the meeting there was an opportunity for discussion in which I responded to Commissioner of Education Susan Gendron's comments in the Portland Press Herald calling for a salary freeze and increasing student-teacher ratios as solutions to budget problems. I told the Commissioner on your behalf that: Maine's educational system has virtually NONE of the things in place that she believes to be representative of high quality educational systems. Maine is now headed in the wrong direction due to the lack of adequate funding. Increasing class sizes and freezing teacher salaries in a state where salaries are 43rd in the nation will make things worse, not better. During these times when strong educational systems are needed, every member of the educational community should be defending and promoting public education, not advocating for cuts and freezes.
I emphasized the necessity of being honest with the public about these ongoing cuts and their real, detrimental effect on the quality of our schools. I warned that Maine is now in a "Race to the Bottom." Other stakeholders joined in and supported my comments. Please join me in being honest with your friends, neighbors, and the parents of your students about the negative impact the budget cuts are having. Tell them we are entering into a race to the bottom that will sacrifice their children's future to fix a short-term budget problem. | 
