"What if?"

School consolidation opponent Skip Greenlaw raises the "What if?" question. It goes like this: What if there are no savings from school consolidation?

In truth there are two variants on this question.

There is the localized version: What if there are no savings when two or more SAUs (School Administrative Units) merge? Will the State back off? Greenlaw tells us that last June Education Commissioner Gendron wrote:

If the regional planning committees make a good faith effort at consolidation and can document that there are no cost savings, then those units will not have to consolidate.

Then there's the more general case: What if -- for whatever reason -- there are no savings statewide? What if the savings that have been "booked" in State budget calculations are in fact non-existent? (You'll recall, perhaps, the $37 million in gift card turnbacks that failed to materialize?)

Greenlaw asks:

Why do the Governor, commissioner and some members of the Legislature maintain that school consolidation will save money in light of overwhelming evidence to the contrary?

Will Commissioner Gendron go back on her word and require units to consolidate even when it is shown that the communities would suffer increased costs?

Good questions, both of them!

May we add a third question?

What will we do if (or is it when?) we are hundreds of millions of dollars short in funding the schools?