PORTLAND , Maine – Independent candidate for governor Eliot Cutler today announced the support of 50 leading educators and school board members from around Maine as he continued to link his comprehensive education reform policy paper, No Excuses: Reforming and Improving Public Education in Maine, to jobs and opportunities for Maine’s young people.
“Just eight years from now, nearly 60% of Maine jobs will require training and formal education beyond high school, and over 40% of those will require either a two- or four-year degree,” Cutler said. “Too many young adults still graduate from Maine high schools without the knowledge and skills necessary to enter the workforce or college. The next governor has to make education reform a top priority or our children – and our state – are going to be left behind in an increasingly competitive economy.”
Cutler said that there are 400,000 people under the age of 25 living in Maine. “Our young people represent the greatest resource for the future prosperity of our state,” Cutler said, “but we first have to keep them in Maine, equip them with the skills to replace our rapidly aging workforce, and employ them in the new jobs that our competitive, global economy demands.”
Cutler said the greatest threat to education reform in Maine is the “unholy alliance” between the leaders of the state teachers’ union, the Maine Education Association, and leaders of the Democratic Party.
“Our school systems and our teachers were fitted for straightjackets by the union, and Libby Mitchell and the Democratic Party leadership zipped them up,” Cutler said. “For too long we have been paying too much for too little. While our enrollments have been going down, our costs have been going up. Student performance is lagging. Yet, year after year the teachers union and Libby Mitchell have teamed up to protect the status quo and put politics before pupils. That’s not serving our children, our parents, Maine taxpayers or the dedicated teachers in our schools.”
“We need to throw open the windows and doors of our schools and embrace reform and innovation,”
Cutler added.
“Maine students need more opportunity than our systems currently provide,” said Richard Barnes, Professor Emeritus and former Dean of Education and Human Development at the University of Southern Maine. “Eliot has set out a detailed plan that will improve Maine’s public education system through an innovative, pro-active approach that, quite frankly, none of the other candidates have even come close to.”
Cutler’s education proposals are guided by five principles:
- All children should have access to quality programs that advance their development and readiness for school.
- Parents, children and educators must share responsibility for academic success.
- Bureaucratic and political walls and policies that protect mediocrity and keep out innovation must be eliminated.
- When educators and teams of educators demonstrate gains and growth in student performance, they should be recognized and rewarded.
- All Mainers, no matter where they live, should have lifelong access to the knowledge and skills they need for success in college and workforce training.
Cutler’s plan begins with an emphasis on screening and early childhood education, putting the focus on readiness for school and preventing problems, rather than trying to fix them later. In addition, he would allow public charter schools and districts as a way to foster innovation and would create additional magnet schools like the Maine School of Science and Mathematics in Limestone.
Another key element of Cutler’s No Excuses plan is to reward good teachers with higher pay, instead of basing compensation on seniority with no distinction permitted between those who teach effectively and those who do not. He would recognize and reward teachers, teams and schools that improve student progress, something that it is not currently allowed under the union contract.
Cutler also supports a longer school day and a longer school year. At 175 days, Maine has one of the shortest school calendars in the country, with five fewer days than the national average. Cutler’s plan also commits to a strong new partnership between high schools, community colleges and industries to reinvigorate skills training and create a new generation of workers to replace a skilled workforce is nearing retirement age.
In post-secondary education, Cutler calls for greater collaboration between the community colleges and university systems, calling for the merger of the administration of the two systems, as well as a better connection between adult education and job force development programs.
“We can’t wait any longer for real education reform in Maine,” said Jean Gulliver, former chair of the state Board of Education. “Eliot Cutler has put forth a smart, detailed plan, and he is the only candidate with the courage and independence to open up our education system to greater innovation, efficiency and effectiveness.”
“I’m proud to have the support of so many prominent educators and community leaders who agree with me that Maine taxpayers deserve better value for their education dollars and that quality education is the only way to ensure that every Maine child has an equal opportunity to succeed,” Cutler said.
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Educators for Cutler
Tenney Augur
Portland, ME
Retired language teacher; taught in the Cape Elizabeth and Portland Public School Systems for approximately 20 years; former representative from Portland High School to the Portland Teachers Association
Richard Barnes
Kennebunkport, ME
Professor Emeritus and former Dean of Education and Human Development, University of Southern Maine
Eve Bither
Westbrook, ME
Former Commissioner of Education, former Superintendent of Freeport school systems, former Assistant principal for Portland High School, former physics teacher
Weston (Wes) Bonney
Portland, ME
Former State Board of Education Member, founding Member of Maine Coalition for Excellence in Education, Trustee Emeritus of Bates College, Member of the Board of Visitors of the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service
Janice Bridgeo
Augusta, ME
Second Grade Teacher, Winthrop
Tony Brinkley
Bangor, ME
Professor of English, Senior Faculty Associate at the University of Maine’s Franco-American Centre
Susan Campbell
Portland, ME
Executive Director of Advising and Academic Resources, University of Southern Maine
Gail Rae Carter
Portland, ME
Former High School History Teacher
Beppie Cerf
Falmouth, ME
Former Chair, Falmouth School Board
Morgan Cuthbert
Freeport, ME
Teacher, Yarmouth School District
Bill Dill
Portland, ME
Trustee and former interim president, Maine College of Art
President emeritus, Babson College
Former dean, School of Business, New York University
Shannon Emery
Eastport, ME
School Board Member, Eastport
Dr. Sandy Ervin
Holden, ME
38 years in public education and former Superintendent of Bangor
Matthew Fadiman
Kennebunk, ME
School Board Member, RSU 21
Bill Foster
Phippsburg, ME
Former Dean of the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University
Polly Haight Frawley
North Yarmouth, ME
Former chair of school board, SAD 51, Cumberland, North Yarmouth
Connie Goldman
Cape Elizabeth, ME
Former state representative on education committee and former Cape Elizabeth and Gorham Superintendent
Mark Googins
Cumberland, ME
Member of the Cheverus High School Board of Trustees
Florine Gorsky
Kennebunk, ME
Former pre-school teacher
Skip Greenlaw
Stonington, ME
School Board Member, Deer Isle-Stonington Community School District
Dick Gould
Greenville, ME
School Board Chair, Greenville
Jean Gulliver
Falmouth, ME
Former Chair and Member of the State Board of Education
Anja Hanson
Portland, ME
Adult Education
Norm Higgins
Dover-Foxcroft, ME
Former Superintendent in SAD #4/Guilford, former teacher and Principal at Piscataquis
Community High School, Project Manager for School Administrative Reorganization
Tim Hussey
Kennebunk, ME
School Board Vice Chair, RSU 21
Bob Ivano
Sedgwick, ME
Mathematics Instructor
Jennifer Jacobson
Cumberland, ME
Education Consultant, Author of Educational and Children’s Books, and former Elementary School Teacher
Kim Kenway
Portland, ME
Hebron Academy Board of Trustees
Beth Kilbreth
Portland, ME
Professor, Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service
Daniel Lee, Ed.d.
Bangor, ME
Superintendent, Brewer; Board of Directors, Jobs for Maine Graduates
David Mahan
Old Town, ME
Assistant Director for Operations of the Recreation Center, University of Maine
Susan Maxwell, OTR/L
South Portland, ME
Special Services Provider
Annie McCluskey
Orono, ME
Teacher, Old Town
Tim McCluskey
Orono, ME
Principal, Vine St. School, Bangor
Jamie Michaud
Cumberland, ME
8th grade English Language Arts and Social Studies Teacher, Cape Elizabeth Middle School
Chris Moore
Portland, ME
Physics Teacher, Falmouth High School
Margaret R. Muir (Peggy Muir)
Freeport, ME
Retired Teacher, Freeport High School
Kevin Murray
Gray, ME
Special Education Teacher, Casco Bay High School
Carol Nalli
Cumberland, ME
Teacher’s Aide, Greely School Systems
Gino Nalli
Cumberland, ME
Professor, Muskie School
Linda Nelson
Stonington, ME
Executive Director, Opera House Arts at the Stonington Opera House
Clare Hudson Payne
Holden, ME
Adjunct Faculty, New England School of Communications
Heather Perry
Unity, ME
Superintendent, RSU 3
Sandra Pye
Wiscasset, ME
Teacher, Wiscasset Elementary School
Marcy Plavin
Lewiston, ME
Dance, Lecturer Emerita, Bates College
Dr. Bill Richards
Cumberland, ME
Former Superintendent of Scarborough School System, SAD 51 Board of Directors
Dr. Mary Richards
Cumberland, ME
Retired State Department of Education Director, former Chief Educational Officer for Learning Effects, former Director of Certification (Maine Department of Education)
Paul Saucier
Brunswick, ME
Director, Cutler Institute for Health and Social Policy, University of Southern Maine
Dr. Mark Schwartz
South Portland, ME
Adjunct Professor, SMCC
Dr. Rachel Schwartz
South Portland, ME
Former Professor
William Shuttleworth
Bath, ME
Superintendent, RSU 01
Leo Trudel, Sr.
Fort Kent, ME
Associate professor of business, University of Maine at Fort Kent
Julie Tselikis
Cape Elizabeth, ME
Retired school nurse of 35 years, Cape Elizabeth Middle School
