77 miles from the tip of Westport Island to North Palermo

Remember the World War I song, "It's a long way, from Tiperarry…"

How about this: "It's a long way, from Westport Island, to North Palermo…"

As changes to Maine's mandated school consolidation law continue to be proposed, protested, debated, and argued, one undeniable fact about Wiscasset's proposed consolidation is undeniably clear - it's a long, long, winding way from the tip of Westport Island to North Palermo, the northernmost town in what must be the longest, skinniest district in the state. Will we really be saving money - the alleged reason for the consolidation? It's true that K-8 schools in Windsor, Somerville, Chelsea, and Whitefield will stay open, but the only high school in the proposed unit is Wiscasset. We wish the state had approached this consolidation idea with more caution, better (some?) research, and more input from the people in the hundreds of tiny little towns that make up our overwhelmingly rural state. Westport Island to North Palermo? You can hardly get there from here…