Doo Diligence?

So says Commissioner Gendron in a letter to the Orono School Committee (and others).

We've covered the Orono story for a while (here and here), with the most recent post telling the story of their reversing a previous decision and opting to ally with Glenburn and Veazie rather than with Old Town and Union 90.

There's more discussion in the Orono School forum (click here).

A commenter there points out that Gendron's link is wrong, that it should be http://www.maine.gov/education/supportingschools/reorglaw.html. He suggests that probably the "due diligence" being referred to is this:

(7) If, after performing due diligence to develop a regional plan that meets the 2,500 students enrollment requirement, a school administrative unit is unable to achieve the enrollment goal due to the decision of geographically proximate school administrative units to participate in a different regional unit.
When circumstances justify an exception to the requirement of 2,500 students, the unit must serve at least 1,200 students, except for offshore islands and schools operated by tribal school committees, which may serve fewer than 1,200 students. [Sec. XXXX-36, 6 (A) 7]

Another commenter says Gendron just wants Orono to talk with Jim Rier. Simple conversation, nothing more!

Consolidation from the beginning has been based upon coercion -- the coercion of the law, with its penalties for non-participation.

The law also gave the Commissioner, and the Department, sweeping powers in deciding who complies and who does not. The law was rushed into passage in a less-than-democratic process. The law itself allows very little role for the "will of the people"; it even includes Soviet-style "elections."

As the process moves along, it will be interesting to see how the Commissioner uses her power under the law to force compliance to her, and the Department's, vision for Maine's 21st century schools.