WELLS — Maine public schools aren’t making the grade, according to Gov. Paul LePage.

LePage, who spoke at York County Community College’s “Eggs and Issues” forum Friday morning at The Coastal House, said his two top issues are education and energy.

The recent move in Maine to allow charter schools was a positive one, he said, and career and technical education are now in the forefront, which was another good move. However, he said, in Maine, every child has to take the SAT, and they are pushed to go to college, while in the best high schools, only about 60 percent of students are meeting standards.

“If you want a good education, go to an academy. If you want a good education, go to a private school,” he said. “If you can’t afford it, tough luck ”“ then you go to a public school.”

LePage said that 54 percent of high school graduates going to community colleges and 25 percent of those going to the University of Maine system need to take remedial courses.

“This year, I’m going to propose a bill that’s not going to pass,” he said.

Though he knows it will fail, he said he would like to see a bill that requires high schools to pay for any remedial courses needed by a student attending a community college or a school in the University of Maine system.

He said with school officials fighting about union contracts and new buildings, many teachers have to dig into their pockets to buy supplies. The state needs to put students first, he said.

LePage said Maine has very bright children, and “I will fight with every ounce of blood I have for the students in our schools.”

The average cost to educate a student in Maine is $15,000 a year, while other states with less costs per student have better-ranking educational systems.

“We have the smallest class sizes in America, and we can’t get the job done,” he said. “I’m very disappointed as your governor that we’ve made so little progress.”

LePage said he is working with former North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on the issue of education. He said when Bush came into office, his state was the worst in education, and now it’s ranked the fifth in the nation.

State Rep.-Elect for House District 149 Paul McGowan said his two granddaughters, who were sitting next to him at the Friday breakfast, attend public schools in Wells.

“I just heard you say if you want a good education go to a private school,” he said. “Do you really want them to leave this building with that message?”

LePage replied that, yes that was what he said, but told the audience “don’t take the whole message.”

“I’m not saying all public schools are bad,” he said, but he said people have to insist they get better and be competitive with private schools.

“The fact of the matter is, the private schools are kicking our butts,” he said. “Not that there isn’t enough money in the system, what I’m saying is the money’s not going where it’s needed.”

Brett Davis of Hollis said he had nine children, and some had attended public while others attended private schools. His son, who was with him, is being home-schooled and takes a writing class online. He said he appreciated the governor exploring choices for students, and he is very interested in virtual schools.

Late Friday afternoon, the Maine Education Association issued a statement concerning the governor’s statements about public education.

“The Governor should be ashamed of himself. We have no throw-away kids in Maine. The Governor should not be saying ”˜tough luck’ to our Maine students,” said Lois Kilby-Chesley, president of the Maine Education Association.

“It is clear the Governor continues to lie about Maine students in order to continue to push his and Commissioner Bowen’s agenda to privatize schools. That would only give taxpayer dollars to for-profit, out-of-state corporations. Public schools belong in our communities and should be overseen by taxpayers ”“ not by corporations,” said Kilby-Chesley.

In other issues, LePage said Maine had the 12th highest energy costs in the nation.

“It’s a killer, it’s a job killer,” he said. He said one way to fix it would be to eliminate the 100 megawatt cap on hydropower.

LePage also spoke of the electoral process, which he said gave into rhetoric and lies. He said he didn’t care about getting re-elected, as the political system was the most corrupt, vile system in America because “it was full of lies.”

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.