Not long ago, the Maine State Legislature’s Education Committee called on the Department of Education to explain declining performance of our state’s schools.  When asked to characterize our back of the pack ranking on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scorecard for last year, one official told us the scores “were neither good nor bad.”

In simple point of fact, the scores are bad. Worse yet, our schools are struggling not only to get back to the first in nation position they once had, but also to deliver the academic basics Maine’s children need to advance. “Unfortunately, academics will have to take the back seat,” Commissioner of Education Makin regrettably said not long ago.

Parents know our schools are failing, but too often are not allowed to speak up at their local school board meetings. One powerful law firm, Drummond and Woodsum, has gone to great lengths to instruct school boards across Maine on how to shut down or otherwise ignore input from those, who like our teachers, care most about the students’ futures.

We have great teachers in Maine, I know this first-hand because I used to be one. But today, teachers are being told they have to prioritize ‘emotional learning’ over academics. I agree emotional learning matters, but we also need to focus on why children are going to school in the first place and that has more to do with the basics of reading, writing and math – areas where they’re now failing.

Another challenge our schools are facing is the increasing demand to provide a whole new level of learning English because their parents are coming to Maine, often undocumented, as immigrants in the state’s new effort to absorb 75,000 ‘New Mainers’ by 2029. Having been a relief worker in 21 countries, I am sensitive to the need to help others, including when it comes to integrating in American life, but we can’t let this drive the educational agenda if we’re not first delivering on the basics.

Politicians in our state seem to have forgotten who pays the bills, and who should set the priorities. We’ve seen this as Governor Janet Mills risks losing federal funding because she insists on violating Title IX to appease special interests. Her arrogance during the COVID-19 pandemic with mandatory shut-downs played a role in our current educational crisis. The only way out of this mess may well come down to the ballot box, but that’s not soon enough for our children today.

What we desperately need is choice. When parents can choose where to send their children to school, schools perform better. The results of this are undeniable. That is why I have authored two bills to bring more choice to Maine’s education system and will be presenting this at a committee hearing on Wednesday. I’d encourage the public to engage in a discussion on this critical question.

We owe it to our kids to fix our struggling schools. Students, and their parents who pay the taxes that fund education, deserve a choice. It’s time to stop failing to answer simple questions and start getting our priorities back in order.

Barbara Baghsaw is a Republican state representative for Windham and serves on the education committee.