There have been some recent articles about Windham parents upset over the RSU 14 school board’s plan to bus some Windham children to Raymond instead of schools in Windham. Raymond and Windham residents voted to approve forming RSU 14 although the majority of Raymond students went to Windham High School so it was basically a marriage that was bound to happen.

Regional school units (RSU) were formed to reduce the amount of school districts across Maine and save some money on administrative costs by consolidating schools. The only problem is that we have not seen the savings.

I went through the same thing when my section of town, which had its own schools, consolidated with the larger section of town because of education costs. It was quite a shock for me because I walked to both schools in my section of town and upon entering 10th grade I rode a bus to a far-away school that had many more students. What did happen was that I became exposed to a much better and broader education. I made many more friends and experienced some things that I would not have been exposed to. It certainly didn’t hurt me although as a teenager it was like facing a nightmare in the beginning. What I thought was going to be a negative experience turned out as a positive one for me.

I do sense what the Windham parents whose children would be bused to Raymond are experiencing. But I beg to ask, is it all as bad as they make out?

Didn’t Windham and Raymond residents vote on approving the Windham Raymond RSU-14 just a few years ago? It is only fair to taxpayers that the assets of both towns be used for the betterment of educating all students of both towns. If not, then it is time that parents accept paying for more of the costs of their children attending school. In some southern states residents stop paying school taxes when reaching either age 62 or 65, which I think is more than fair. If parents think that won’t happen in Maine, Maine has the oldest population in the United States and that percentage of voters will only increase in the future as baby boomers grow older. I sense that they will become a very dominant voting block in the near future.

I would like to think that our local RSU provides the best education possible. However, and here is where my military career cuts in, I am very good at observing people conducting their daily business and I am shocked at what I witness. I see a generation that is going backward in terms of education and have to wonder why. Is it the students, the parents or the education system itself?

I researched the SAT scores for 2011 and was shocked to learn that Maine ranked 50th while Illinois ranked first. One analyst noted that Pennsylvania had the average SAT score and yet the majority of students were below that, showing that the majority of high school graduates were not prepared for college.

Could it be that the plan to bus Windham students to Raymond is a ploy in order to convince Windham residents that Windham needs a new middle school? I have seen similar tactics by the school board in the past, especially with the annual budget. First the board proposes increasing the school budget. Then citizens become outraged so the school board decides to cut sports. Then the parents become angry over the cut in sports. The school board then pretends to cut the school budget but in reality only cuts the increase. To me it seems logical that parents of Windham students would become upset over the busing of their children to Raymond.

There is one thing that Raymond and Windham parents can do. They can start a petition drive to end RSU 14 as the 30-month period has expired and take the matter to the polls.

Lane Hiltunen, of Windham, hopes everyone goes to the polls to defeat the North Windham sewer project.

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