Vowing on the one hand that he will fight hard for his school consolidation proposal, Governor John Baldacci said last week, "We'll have a discussion - believe me, that's the way Maine works."

Baldacci spoke February 1 at the Morning Chambers session sponsored by the Southern Midcoast Chamber of Commerce to a group of about 100 people.

"We've sort of gone right into the lion's den," he said, referring to the previous week's criticism in response to his plan, which would reduce 290 school districts into 26.

"I'm actually encouraged by the criticism," he said. "At least we all realize something has to be done to reduce property taxes." He referred to the recent Brookings Report, which, among other factors, criticized the size of bureaucracy in state and school administration.

"We have one of the highest tax burdens in the country," he said. "We've got to make some changes, or we're going to go over the cliff," he said.

In the last four years, Maine has spent over $800 million on education - with more going toward administration, and the number of students declining, he said. Maine spends $2,000 more per pupil than the national average, he said, "but our teachers get $7,000 less than the national average."

The governor promised $170 million "in new money" will go into education under his proposal - including $7.5 million each year to have a principal in every building. He said he is looking for savings in consolidation through more shared services like transportation and special education. Teachers and principals should be more involved in budget making, he said.

"All students should be encouraged to go on to higher education," he said, but preparation in the high schools will have to be better.

"Forty percent of the kids in Maine who go on to higher education have to take remedial courses," he said. One of the changes he proposes in the high school curriculum is calling for four years of math and science instead of two.

Defending his proposal to cut the number of districts to 26, the governor said this is the number of vocational school districts there are around the sate.

"Schools don't do industrial arts anymore - about 20 percent of our kids go to vocational schools. They do a wonderful job. Now, all of a sudden it's rocket science to do administration out of these districts?

"If this is going to be a battle, I'm going to fight hard on this one. But I'm willing to look at it," he added.