It seems to me that the committee you are assigned to in Augusta becomes very important to your focus. You spend considerable time on that committee and you get information on those topics that others may not.

In my first year, I was assigned to the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee and then asked to take part in a one-time committee called Regulatory Reform and Fairness.

Currently, I am only working on the education committee this term. As you might expect, I brought life experiences, beliefs and core values to this post in Augusta. Specifically, I brought time spent as a Raymond School Committee member, have various educators and librarians in my family and have two children who have completed college. I volunteered in schools and actually worked in one for three years running a job experience program for high school-aged kids. While this committee was not my first choice, I have come to see the blessing it has been to be there.

The Education and Cultural Affairs Committee also oversee areas such as FAME, MPBN, The Maine State Library and The Maine State Museum. The committee consists of 14 members, two senators and 12 representatives. There are eight Republicans and five Democrats. The remaining seat is filled by a Native American representative. We meet four times per week and deal with many important issues. I find this committee interesting in it appears that we do not simply vote along party lines but actually work well as a group. For me, I realized early on that all those experiences and beliefs mentioned above, while important, pale to the simple core value of local control. Whenever an issue comes before the committee I put it through the lens of “can my local school board do this?” If the answer is yes, I will almost always vote no or at least challenge the bill’s premise.

Given that, I have voted against many things that sounded really good. To be honest, every bill title we see sounds really good, it is only when you read the text that you begin to get concerned about what may happen if the law is passed. I have voted against anti-bullying, taking sugar out of schools, mandating two weeks of life skills (like how to do a checkbook) and mandating free and reduced lunch programs to needy families during the summer. Each of those titles and many others suggest areas that clearly are issues in society. My opinion is that it is a slippery slope to allow government to oversee so much of our lives, would we not be better spent expecting families to teach their children about respect, health and how to thrive as an adult? The obvious comeback is that many families do not do this. Valid counterpoint, but I am not ready to give up on my faith in humanity quite yet. In voting against sugar, I was the only negative vote that day. Two days later I showed the bill sponsor how in San Antonio they now film lunch trays coming and going. They pay people to watch the film and then they counsel the student on diet. Was this what the sponsor wanted in Maine? She said “certainly not!” My response was, “this is how you get there.” This particular bill was later defeated.

My education “frustration” in Augusta is how much we want schools to do. We mandate them to be counselors, social workers, restaurants, recreation centers, daycares and many other things. Than we get mad when they don’t educate.

God bless you all.

Rep. Mike McClellan represents Raymond, Frye Island and parts of Standish and Poland. He can be reached at 329-6148 or mmcclell@maine.rr.com or on Facebook at “Mike McClellan Politician.”