I am writing regarding the Aug. 10 article “Maine’s school funding formula has long been called inequitable. Changing it is complicated.” The article makes the same mistake that many make; treating as fact the fiction that the state is paying 55% of public education costs. In reality, the state is funding 55% of what it […]
Letters to the Editor
Letters to the editor of the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel.
Voter ID is a way to restore public trust | Letter
I support voter ID. Maine people want voter ID. A valid identification is needed in many aspects of our civilized, legal life. The list is long for the requirements of a valid ID. Honest, trustworthy people realize the importance of proper identification. There are provisions in the proposed law for a free ID for anyone […]
Beech leaf disease is not connected to timber harvesting in Maine | Letter
An Aug. 11 letter to the editor regarding timber harvesting — between 2016 and 2018 — on the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s Management Area in Hallowell (Jamie’s Pond) connected it to to beech leaf disease. While I appreciate the letter writer’s perspective, several assumptions need to be corrected. Beech leaf disease is an […]
Maine voters need to dig deeper on voter ID question | Letter
While seemingly harmless on the surface, the myriad changes and restrictions cannot be overlooked.
Libby deserved reprimand for posting youth’s photo | Letter
Thank you to Quinn Kenney for their op-ed about state Rep. Laurel Libby (“Laurel Libby is no hero,” Aug. 8), who claims she was censured for expressing her opinions about transgender youth. Kenney pointed out that is absolutely not true. Libby was censured for “inappropriately posting the name and picture of a transgender teenager.” I […]
Setting the record straight on Laurel Libby’s censure | Letter
Regarding the Aug. 8 op-ed “Laurel Libby is no hero,” I felt it necessary to respond to the author’s argument that said “I’ve read letters saying it was unfair to leave the people she represents without a voice in government. However, that was Libby’s own fault, not that of the House speaker whom she sued.” […]
Let’s get a handle on unnecessary ballots | Letter
With all due respect to the author of a recent letter written in support of the voter ID citizens’ initiative (“Automatic absentee ballots are risky,” Aug. 4), perhaps a trip to the town hall to cancel the automatic ballot should be added to the endless list of things that we of a certain age need […]
Vote to protect the integrity of Maine’s elections | Letter
A “Yes” vote on the ballot question “Do you want voters to prove their residency?” will enhance the integrity of the election process in Maine. It is vitally important to be able to trust the outcome of an election. As a former resident in New Hampshire, which has voter ID, I can attest that it […]
Unmask inequities in Maine’s school funding formula | Letter
After a decade as a Maine superintendent, I authored a 2006 Brookings report that drove school district consolidations, many later reversed by local voters. The education funding debate stays fixated on revenue — who is paying and how — while ignoring results — who benefits and by how much (“Maine’s school funding formula has long […]
A child’s education has to begin at home | Letter
If parents fail to show an interest in their child’s schooling, the child will assume it isn’t important.