I talked recently with a high school student who, like many Waterville residents, had been having a hard time. Because of family troubles, he’d missed a lot of school. However, he’s now discovered a passion for machining. Realizing that math is important for his future career, he renewed his commitment to attending and doing well in school. How has he been able to get caught up on his school work? Why will he be able to graduate on time? His teachers and school staff — they are giving him the extra attention he needs so that he learns what he needs to learn. They are helping him figure out how to make his career dream a reality.

Hearing his story, I have high hopes for him and for Waterville. But our fantastic school system faces a great risk.

Waterville Mayor Nick Isgro would not answer questions about his claim that city councilors are working behind the scenes to craft a budget with a 13 percent property tax increase at a press conference in Waterville on Monday and instead blamed newspaper headlines about efforts to recall him as distractions from the work that should be happening in the city. Staff photo by David Leaming

The residents of Waterville are once again being forced by the state to choose between our schools and our property tax rate. Despite the repeated messages from Mainers that education is of the utmost importance, the state has not lived up to its revenue-sharing promises. Indeed, the amount the state provides for public education in Waterville has dropped by more than 65 percent from 2008 to 2017 when adjusted for inflation. The state’s failure means that we are now left with the responsibility to ensure our future. Adding insult to injury, the state tells the schools how to spend money without providing funds to cover the mandates. The consequence is that when local school budgets are cut, the arts, math, science, English, and social science teaching are directly impacted.

The mayor, Waterville City Council, and School Board are now negotiating our future. Will they courageously accept the responsibility to ensure the well-being of our city’s future? Will we as Waterville residents let our civic leaders know that we are willing to be responsible for the children and grandchildren of Waterville, even as the state fails its duties?

Waterville public schools have the lowest starting teaching salaries among surrounding communities. When we don’t pay competitive salaries, we cannot attract the best possible teachers. Our per pupil spending rates are among the lowest in the state. Funds from the federal Title I program are tied up paying for kindergarten teachers rather than being used for elementary math and reading specialists. The high school has made cut after cut to academic offerings. Dedicated students have difficulty finding enough available classes to fill their schedule.

The recent budget proposed by the school board would have begun to remedy these things. This is not some secret conspiracy against city residents. The budgets and budget meetings are public. Having attended a number of those meetings, it is clear that cutting the school and city budgets would be like cutting our very identity as a city.

Rather than bickering and casting blame, our mayor and City Council should be pressuring Augusta to live up to its obligations to Maine’s children. We as Waterville residents should demand that they insist that the state return to Waterville the revenue due us.

We hear a lot about the elitism of certain politicians. The most anti-elite thing we can do is support public education. I grew up in what is still the most conservative county in Iowa. The people of that time and place were wise enough to be strong supporters of public education; I am a product of that fantastic rural education. My teachers were among the most influential people in my life. Almost all of my classmates went on to two- or four-year colleges and now have a variety of careers, with many of them returning to the area. Public education should not be a partisan issue.

I have now lived a decade in Waterville for 10 years where my children have had amazing teachers. But every year, with every budget cut, with every failure to address starting teacher salaries, with every failure to address the lack of adequate support staff, with every failure to address building maintenance issues, we make their already very difficult jobs much, much harder. I love this community and am proud to be an active part of it. I hope that the children currently in the Waterville public school systems will be able to say the same thing. Will we build the future Waterville, or does it die after us? We must let our let our mayor and City Council know again that we support our public schools, despite the significant budget challenges facing us.

Scott Taylor is the father of two children in Waterville public schools, where he volunteers. He also is webmaster for the Friends of Waterville Public Schools, and teaches mathematics at Colby College.

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