McGowan for Maine

In 2020, Maine will celebrate the 200th Anniversary of its statehood.  In order to prepare today’s students for the world that will exist in 2020 and beyond, Maine must continue to work toward funding 55% of statewide education costs, but it also must focus on improving the quality of the education being provided to our state’s students.  Change is necessary and targeted investments are essential.  Pat McGowan has the clearest plan – a 2020 Vision – for improving student achievement and making Maine’s education system the most innovative and successful in the country.

Make higher education and workforce development a budgetary priority again

As a graduate of the University of Maine System, and the father of several children who attended System schools, Pat has great faith in Maine’s public higher education institutions and believes that they are crucial building blocks for future economic growth.  In a changing economy, Maine needs a well-educated workforce to support its economic development, and this cannot be achieved while cutting funding for higher education.  That’s why Pat is committed, in each and every budget he submits to the Legislature as Governor, to increasing funding for higher education and expanding scholarship opportunities for needy traditional and non-traditional students.  With this additional funding will come additional responsibility and oversight, and Pat will demand greater efficiencies and collaboration between the University of Maine System and the Maine Community College System.

Bring together stakeholders to help Maine effectively compete for Race to the Top

In July of 2009, President Obama announced the availability of more than $4 billion in additional federal funds for states that enact innovative reforms and help prepare their students for the 21st Century economy.  As Governor, Pat McGowan will bring together stakeholders – teachers, students, parents, superintendents, and business leaders alike – to forge consensus about the how to make Maine’s education system more complete and more competitive.  Winning the competition for these funds will enable Maine to expand its laptop program into every high school classroom, implement the Classrooms Without Walls initiative, and explore a pilot program for public charter schools in Maine.

Implement the Classrooms Without Walls Initiative

Pat spent seven years as Commissioner of the Maine Department of Conservation, overseeing land conservation projects, the development of renewable energy projects, and Maine’s state park system.  During this time, Pat worked closely with the Governor’s Council on Physical Activity to start the “Take it Outside!” program, which encourages Maine families to explore the outdoors and learn more about the state’s coastline, rivers, lakes, and mountains.  Based on his experience with this program, Pat believes that expanding experiential learning opportunities will improve the education of Maine students.  Different children learn in different ways, and Maine education policy needs to reflect these differences.  Pat’s Classrooms Without Walls initiative will provide funding for at least one new experiential learning program during each year of his governorship.

Improve school district consolidation

Pat proudly served in the Baldacci administration, but he saw the implementation of school district consolidation as too focused on budgetary issues and not focused enough on students, teachers, and communities.  All the controversy about the implementation of this policy initiative alienated stakeholders and caused too many to lose focus on the real problem.  No one denies that Maine’s student population continues to decline.  As Governor, Pat will work with stakeholders, including both supporters and opponents of reform, to build more flexibility into the consolidation process and find greater cost efficiencies through enhanced collaboration between schools, districts, and policymakers.  In the end, change must occur, but it is change driven from the bottom-up that is needed, not change directed from the top-down by an out-of-touch central bureaucracy.

Student & Teacher Assessment

Education in Maine should focus on a clear and attainable goal – improving student achievement and preparing today’s students for the economy of tomorrow.  Assessing student performance is a vital component of education reform, but the real question is what to do with the data once it is gathered.  Too many people today advocate for the use of assessment data for punitive purposes – this is both wrong and unproductive.  Some of Maine’s best teachers take on the most challenging students, and assessment policies should not penalize educators for helping these students achieve incremental progress.  As Governor, Pat will ensure that assessment is used to improve student performance and inform educational innovation, not punish educators.