Should Northern Maine have a right to exist??

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

The state sends incorporated towns some money for the "highway fund". The town uses it to maintain roads. This money comes from our gas taxes which went up on July 1 this year. The Unorganized Territories don't get this reimbursement.

I was covering that under "State Routes". Doesn't the county take care of some of the road maint.?

[kellysmith]

Originally Posted by Maineah

Again no one is blaming Unorganized Townships for anything. The fact they are unorganized should tells us something! Many in the unorganized areas DO NOT want State help. They enjoy the independence of being an unorganized town! More power to them! The State needs a town structured government in place to deal with for any funding issues. Stay unorganized and avoid all the hassles of town politics. Brilliant!

Here's some data from the Education Dept website. It's amazing how one can use data in different ways. It would be hard for me to pick North and South from these numbers based on the theory that the South supports the North...and yes I did cherry pick the schools I list.
Percentage is the Adjusted State Share Percentage of the School budget for 2007-2008.
SAD16 Hallowell 70.50%
SAD15 Grey 52.65%
SAD51 Cumberland 49.07%
Sanford 66.80%
Auburn 58.74%
Bath 50.63%
Bowerbank 1.52%
Brunswick 51.80%
Brooklin 12.43%
Deblois 3.45%
East Millinocket 33.47%
Gorham 63.03%
Grand Lake Stream Plt 7.48%
Wiscassett 51.06%
Greenville 18.51%
Lewiston 66.85%
Madawaska 53.72%
Millinocket 54.92%
Moro Plt 3.16%
Orient 3.90%
Waterville 71.21%
Sabattus 78.89%
Westbrook 50.41%
So my question is why do the folks of Orient have to send their hard earned $$ to places like Gorham, Westbrook, etc?

[AustinB]

Originally Posted by Bydand

Oh thank you for buttering my bread for the last 20 years so I didn't have to pay State and Local taxes while living in Aroostook County.

Can I get a rebate for the tens of thousand of dollars I spent so foolishly on these taxes seeing how I really didn't have to thanks to the kind benefactors downstate.

I never heard of the "Volvo line" before this forum either by the way.

I hadn't heard of the volvo line, but I could see it. By the way, our area is occupied, run for your lives!!!

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by kellysmith

Here's some data from the Education Dept website. It's amazing how one can use data in different ways. It would be hard for me to pick North and South from these numbers based on the theory that the South supports the North...and yes I did cherry pick the schools I list.
Percentage is the Adjusted State Share Percentage of the School budget for 2007-2008.
SAD16 Hallowell 70.50%
SAD15 Grey 52.65%
SAD51 Cumberland 49.07%
Sanford 66.80%
Auburn 58.74%
Bath 50.63%
Bowerbank 1.52%
Brunswick 51.80%
Brooklin 12.43%
Deblois 3.45%
East Millinocket 33.47%
Gorham 63.03%
Grand Lake Stream Plt 7.48%
Wiscassett 51.06%
Greenville 18.51%
Lewiston 66.85%
Madawaska 53.72%
Millinocket 54.92%
Moro Plt 3.16%
Orient 3.90%
Waterville 71.21%
Sabattus 78.89%
Westbrook 50.41%
So my question is why do the folks of Orient have to send their hard earned $$ to places like Gorham, Westbrook, etc?

What you don't see in these figures is that money comes from property taxes to begin with. Most of the towns that get back larger subsidies are having larger chunks taken away in the first place. What many of the Southern Towns were complaining about was they could easily pay for their own schools 100% with lots of money left over if the State did not collect all the revenue and then redistribute it based on student population, necessary upgrades and growth potential. So Orient isn't really subsidizing Westbrook, Portland and most other large towns are supporting the rest of the state's schools. If towns were left alone to finance their own schools without State meddling you would really see a much larger difference in the quality of the schools between the Southern Maine and Northern Maine. Since most agree that education is universally important FEW people will begrudge the State the redistributing of funds in the way it does now with larger towns helping to support the smaller ones. It is also universally agreed the whole school system in Maine needs an overhaul.

[kellysmith]

Originally Posted by Maineah

\It is also universally agreed the whole school system in Maine needs an overhaul.

Maineah,
If this statement was correct I think the system would be overhauled. Last I looked State Government still was based on the democratic system where majority rules. And to quote Charlie Pray the former Senate President from Millinocket, "Trees don't vote!" I think a more accurate statement would be the majority of Maine legislators agree the whole school system in Maine DOES NOT need an overhaul.

[flycessna]

Originally Posted by kellysmith

Here's some data from the Education Dept website. It's amazing how one can use data in different ways. It would be hard for me to pick North and South from these numbers based on the theory that the South supports the North...and yes I did cherry pick the schools I list.
Percentage is the Adjusted State Share Percentage of the School budget for 2007-2008.
SAD16 Hallowell 70.50%
SAD15 Grey 52.65%
SAD51 Cumberland 49.07%
Sanford 66.80%
Auburn 58.74%
Bath 50.63%
Bowerbank 1.52%
Brunswick 51.80%
Brooklin 12.43%
Deblois 3.45%
East Millinocket 33.47%
Gorham 63.03%
Grand Lake Stream Plt 7.48%
Wiscassett 51.06%
Greenville 18.51%
Lewiston 66.85%
Madawaska 53.72%
Millinocket 54.92%
Moro Plt 3.16%
Orient 3.90%
Waterville 71.21%
Sabattus 78.89%
Westbrook 50.41%
So my question is why do the folks of Orient have to send their hard earned $$ to places like Gorham, Westbrook, etc?

I am not sure what it means..........or if it really explains anything at all.

1st the town of Orient population 145 has 112 people over 18 of which 45 are disabled. The per capita income $12k....I hardley think anyones tax dollars are going to support people in gorham...they probably barely cover how much money the state spends so that town can exist. Your 3.9% of state aid to Orient is to cover their tutition costs
FYI

The Orient School Department provides for the education of pupils in the town of Orient. The Orient School Department does not operate any schools. As of October 1, 2004, all of its resident pupils were tuitioned as follows:
Tuitioned To Grades Number of Pupils

MSAD 14 K-8 2

MSAD 70 K-8 7

MSAD 14 9-12 2

MSAD 70 9-12 3

The question is how much aid the state is giving to those schools now??

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by kellysmith

Maineah,
If this statement was correct I think the system would be overhauled. Last I looked State Government still was based on the democratic system where majority rules. And to quote Charlie Pray the former Senate President from Millinocket, "Trees don't vote!" I think a more accurate statement would be the majority of Maine legislators agree the whole school system in Maine DOES NOT need an overhaul.

My brother is IN the system and says it needs an extensive overhaul. It's way too top heavy with far too many administrators. As usual anything a politician(Charlie Pray) can avoid he will. If brought to a vote I'm sure the people of the large towns would not be altruistic and would vote to support JUST their own schools. It's why the government takes your income taxes out UP Front they don't trust you to pay them of your own accord. If the system did not need an overhaul then why all the MANDITORY consolidation KS?

[Boomerang]

Originally Posted by kellysmith

Last I looked State Government still was based on the democratic system where majority rules.

One of the problems is that our present 2 party system is not actually a democracy. But that's a horse of a different color, for a different forum~!

I'm just wondering what would happen in a statewide referendum, if everyone were given a chance to vote on what believed to be the most urgent financial problems facing Maine and how to deal with them [edit: with an eye to equitable distribution throughout the entire state, I mean, relative to this discussion].

I imagine the results might be different than what the State House comes up with ...

[Northern Maine Land Man]

"Doesn't the county take care of some of the road maint.?"

I don't think any county in Maine has a highway department.

[7th generation]

Boy, this thread has been one big debate and a few feelings were hurt along the way.
Regardless of where one lives in this Great State, we're all Mainers!