Several candidates for Maine governor have criticized Maine’s low student/teacher ratios during their campaigns.  Many people see low student/teacher ratios as a good thing – studies generally show that smaller classrooms result in a higher quality education.  This should be obvious – smaller classrooms lead to fewer disruptions and improved individual attention.

However, it’s also true that economic downturns force the state to examine its budget closely, and a few candidates are eyeing Maine’s small classroom size as a luxury we can’t afford to continue.  Some also point to Maine’s low test scores and affirm the consequent that Maine’s small classrooms do nothing to increase the value of education.

Bill Beardsley

Bill Beardsley has stated repeatedly that he is in favor of increasing Maine’s classroom sizes:

“Savings are achievable by bringing our student-teacher ratio more in line with other rural states that have proven results with fewer teachers. This can be achieved through attrition.”  - http://www.pressherald.com/home/governor/How-would-the-candidates-balance-the-budget.html

Beardsley reiterates this on his blog:

“Our student/faculty ratios are far too low even by rural state standards.” - http://billbeardsley.com/blog/?p=47

Eliot Cutler

Cutler has said many times, in his blog and on his page, that he is in favor of increasing Maine’s classroom sizes:

“Our student-teacher ratio has become the most favorable in the nation at 9:1 versus a national average of almost 16:1. If we increase our student-teacher ratio to 13.5:1 — the average of several rural states that are currently performing as well or better than Maine — we would save $400 million each year.”  - http://cutler2010.com/2010/02/no-excuses-education-reform/

Cutler’s choice of words is particularly notable in this blog post, where refers to the size of Maine’s small classrooms as “worse” than the national average:

“Because Maine’s ratio of classroom teachers to pupils now has become the second highest among all the states, fully 25 percent worse than the national average.” - http://cutler2010.com/2009/11/charter_schools_the-democrats_final_fall/

Paul LePage

Given his generally conservative stance, it is unsurprising that Paul LePage also wants more children per Maine classroom.  His tone seems among the most urgent of the candidates:

“We need to increase the student to teacher ratio to an average of 18 students per teacher…” - http://augustainsider.us/gopedq1/

Peter Mills

Peter Mills never comes out and says definitively that he is in favor of increasing classroom sizes.  Instead, he drops Maine’s teacher/student ratio into lists of “facts” in vague, meandering discussions about the high cost of education in the state.

“There is much room in K-12 budgets for cost reduction. Maine spends about $2000 more per year on each child than the rest of the nation… Maine has the second lowest student-teacher ratio in the U.S. (11 to 1)…” - http://www.millsformaine.com/2010/05/peter-mills-on-education

Mills has written a particularly verbose essay that covers everything from the United States constitution to healthcare to William the Conqueror’s Domesday Book. It features quotes from science fiction authors, philosophers, comedians, and Benjamin Franklin.  Buried deep within this tome in another “hint” at dissatisfaction with Maine’s small classroom sizes:

“According to recent surveys by Education Week, Maine has the seventh lowest pupil-teacher ratios in the United States for elementary schools (13.1 students per teacher in 2002 versus 16.0 for the nation). During the past ten years, student enrollments have dropped by 6% while the number of teachers has gone up by 10%”. - http://www.petermills.info/articles/20042.asp, “Why is Education so Costly?”

Rosa Scarcelli

Rosa Scarcelli is the only Democrat (well, aside from self-proclaimed “independent” Eliot Cutler, ahem) who thinks Maine should increase it’s student/teacher ratio:

“Second, raising our state student-teacher ratio closer to the national average will save enough to retrain displaced teachers and invest in better learning results.” - http://www.pressherald.com/home/governor/How-would-the-candidates-balance-the-budget.html

What is interesting about Scarcelli is that she is the only candidate running with school-aged children.  Beardsley, Cutler, LePage, and Mills all have adult children according to their online biographies.

At first, Scarcelli having school-aged kids seems like a good thing.  As Governor, she would have a vested interest in ensuring that her own kids get a first-rate public education.  As a parent, she has probably seen first-hand what challenges the public school systems in Maine face.

Except she hasn’t, because Scarcelli’s kids do not attend public school.  Scarcelli is an alumni of Waynflete school, a private school in Portland.  She is also a member of Waynflete’s board of trustees. According to Wikipedia, the student/teacher ratio at Waynflete is 4:1, vastly lower than Maine’s average.  Tuition at for K-12 education Waynflete ranges from $11,305 to $23,560.  A call to their campaign office confirmed that Scarcelli sends her children to Waynflete.

I know the world isn’t fair. Parents who can afford to send their kids to the best private education money can buy should be able to do so. I would do the same thing if I could. But I find it a bit conceited that Scarcelli thinks that bigger classrooms are acceptable for “the rest of Maine,” while a 4:1 student/teacher ratio OK for those who can spend $23,000 a year, as well as her own kids.

At least she isn’t advocating for vouchers, which would be an obvious conflict of interests.

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