Dear Editor:

The cost of education in accordance with the Maine State Law is to be borne by taxes on the property of the town. This was a good law in the "times of old" when every town had their own schools and there was no state subsidy.

In today's environment where subsidy is paid to towns on a very unequal basis, from primarily the income tax Maine residents pay, that law fails to be "government for the people and by the people!"

In the school year 2007-08 the cost per student, after deduction of the subsidy, for Westport Island was about $11,100; for Wiscasset, it was about $7,600. This is not the fault of the Wiscasset residents - it is the fault of the Department of Education subsidy formula!

The average income for the residents of Westport Island was $42,625 and $46,525 for Wiscasset residents, per the year 2000 census. This is a 10 percent difference. (The Maine Revenue System could give better numbers for the year 2007.)

Where is the equity in the per pupil cost to these two towns? What is the cost per student these two towns using the same school system "can afford?"

Dollars spent to keep students in school to be the "best they can be" that results in productive (not incarcerated) citizens in all levels of society (not just numbers of students entering higher education - although also important) is what we can afford - has anyone developed such a metric? The first goal to be achieved in this metric, but not less important, is equity in cost per student for all Maine residents.

Richard DeVries

Westport Island

Dear Editor

Now that the state of Maine has joined the poor and humbled, perhaps it's time to consider what we and what we, as a state, can offer.

We are a vacation destination. We are not a heavily industrialized mid-western state.

Realizing that, it is probably time to reconsider gambling as a resort destination and part of our vacation industry.

Stan Lane

Westport Island

Dear Editor:

I am writing this letter in response to the "Tell it to George" column, published March 13, 2008. I am a student at Wiscasset High School and a junior. I have been in the Wiscasset School system from the start of kindergarten. My name is Lauren Emery, and yes, my mom is Marsha Emery. She is a sixth-grade teacher at the Wiscasset Middle School.

I was definitely and completely involved with the Wiscasset student walkout. It has been over seven months since this walkout happened, so why are people still ranting about it? "Certain" citizens of Wiscasset were not happy with this walkout. Apparently when they saw me on the news talking about losing teachers, they immediately thought "brainwashed." Anyone who has ever talked to me would know I was far from being "brain-washed." Some people would consider me brutally honest and opinionated. I tell it like it is.

My mother had nothing to do with the walkout. She did not know anything about it until I told her, and by then it had already been planned and decided. So, for all of you that still aren't sure of the story, this is what REALLY happened. A couple of students began talking about what we could do to stop the cutting of teachers and clubs, because we love our teachers and our school. Being a small school, the walkout plan got around fast. By the end of the day we had set a date. Some teachers disagreed with our choice, and when our principal found out she allowed us only 20 minutes to go outside and show our protest. I ended up calling some news stations and a newspaper. I also went to Shaw's to buy supplies because we were not allowed to use any supplies from the school. The next day it happened, and I was very proud of how the students came together and about the positive response we got. Other people were upset about this walkout but we can't please everyone, right?

I think it is petty of people to write about my mother and me. They don't even have the decency to sign their names! I have signed my name, right at the top - third sentence in. I am not afraid of who I am and what I stand for. I am sorry if this offends anyone but the fact that people keep writing about us upsets me. This continued attack has made it impossible for me to ignore, and I will not take it anymore. So I am setting the record straight for all of you. The students of Wiscasset High School are not "brain-washed drones."

The way I understand it, Maine Yankee was our main source of money here in Wiscasset and it paid for most of our taxes. Maine Yankee closed and taxes began to rise, as well as everything else in the world around us. I have one thing to say about all of this. GET OVER IT. It's closed. It's not coming back; the taxes are not going down.

I know that life is not fair. Cutting programs that once made our school stand out is not right. Our arts program has been the best statewide for a long time, and the reason many children have come to Wiscasset is to learn from it. So why are we cutting these things? There are other things we can cut, so why do we just have to cut from education? I have been to several school board meetings; you know the meetings that go nowhere because every time somebody makes a point somebody else cuts them off? Nobody seems to listen to anybody in these meetings, which makes them all the more frustrating to go to.

The superintendent came to our school to try to explain to the student council about what was going on with the teacher contract. The only thing that the superintendent told us was, "This is a teacher matter and it should not be affecting the students," I was infuriated, of course this is affecting the students.

Although it saddens me to see this town be ripped apart, which is happening as we begin to tear down our schools. For the citizens that still believe I am "brainwashed" I have some homework for you. Think of yourself in high school, at my age. Were you a "brainwashed" teen? Did you have a brain? Could you think for yourself and do what you wanted? I did what I did, and do what I do because I love my teachers and my school. The teachers come here day after day and are constantly disrespected by the town, but they come back because they love to teach. I believe they love the students too.

Do you remember back in the "olden days" when teachers were one of the most respected people in society? What happened to that? You can say what you want about my mother and me, but I will not ignore it anymore.

Lauren Emery

Wiscasset

Dear Editor:

March 23 has been designated by the United Nations General Assembly as "World Meteorological Day," an occasion on which all of us can take a moment to recognize the vital importance of weather and climate in our daily lives.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, was established in 1950 and headquartered in Geneva Switzerland. An intergovernmental organization with a membership of 188 nations, WMO is the UN system's authoritative voice on the state and behavior of the earth's atmosphere, its interaction with the oceans, the climate it produces and the resulting distribution of water resources.

Jointly with the UN Environment Progam, WMO established the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988. Comprising more than 1,500 climatologists around the world, the IPCC issues regular reports assessing changes in the world's climate.

Together with Al Gore, the IPPC was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. According to the Nobel Committee, they were chosen "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change and to lay the foundation for the measures that are needed to counteract such change."

In spite of efforts of major polluting industries in the United States to pooh-pooh the concept of global warming, the reports of the IPPC and the Nobel Peace Prize have served to relegate these mastodons to the dust-bin of history. One of their major protectors and sponsors will certainly meet the same end in November 2008.

Yours sincerely,

R. B. Stedman,

Assistant Secretary General of the

United Nations (Ret.)

Westport Island