Communities throughout the state have struggled to implement the state’s evolving concept of school consolidation by next week’s deadline. The results have been mixed, and opponents are hoping to end the effort with a referendum vote in November.

Under the circumstances, Gov. John Baldacci made a good decision last week ”“ signing legislation to suspend penalties against communities that failed to adequately comply with the statewide initiative to reorganize school districts. “Our intention has never been to punish school districts,” the governor said.

Yet consolidation from the start emphasized punitive measures facing communities, and just this week an Education Department official warned that the penalties have only been deferred. They will return next year, unless further action is taken.

When it was enacted in 2007, the state’s plan for school consolidation brushed aside the idea of home rule. The law arrived with the attitude that state government knew the  way to bring efficiency to education spending, and it included strongly worded mandates and deadlines.

The state never matched its tough talk with action. Last year, legislation reformed several toxic provisions, and many school districts in southern Maine, including Wells-Ogunquit, have been able to avoid forced marriages. As for deadlines, the recent legislation signed by the governor waives another one.

Many small districts have voted down consolidation plans; across the state, 117 school districts are facing the loss of millions of dollars for doing so. Recently, a failed budget referendum for RSU 23 ”“ Saco, Dayton, Old Orchard Beach ”“ showed that opposition persists even where Regional School Units have been approved.

Meanwhile, it isn’t clear that the consolidation will save much money in the short run. Fewer administrators have been laid off than expected, and equalizing teacher pay in the new districts will increase costs.

In November, voters will consider whether to scrap the reorganization effort. If they  see it as a referendum on the state’s effectiveness in reforming education, the new Regional School Units may be in jeopardy.

But perhaps we’ve reached a point where taxpayers, parents, educators and municipal officials can see some long-term benefits in the local efforts at reorganization. Many individuals and boards have worked hard to consolidate and achieve the efficiencies envisioned in the law.

New arrangements are taking effect all over the state with the arrival of the new fiscal year. How  well they hold up at the start of the new school year may help determine whether or not the law is overturned.

— Questions? Comments? Contact Kristen Schulze Muszynski or Nick Cowenhoven at 282-1535 or kristenm@journaltribune.com or nickc@journaltribune.com.