ROCKLAND, Maine — The Maine State Workforce Investment Board voted unanimously at its April 6 meeting to endorse the Many Flags/One Campus concept and to urge Gov. Paul LePage to move the project forward as a part of his education reform and economic development strategies for Maine.
Many Flags is a proposal to combine a high school, vocational center, technical college, university and marine trade center on one campus.
Regional School Unit 13, based in Rockland, has been working on creating such a campus.
The members of the State Workforce Investment Board are appointed by the governor to lead the effort to create a work force development system in Maine.
“The Many Flags/One Campus model of collaboration among business, secondary and post-secondary education and industry-led technical training is exactly what we need in Maine,” said Fred Webber, chairman of the State Workforce Investment Board.
The specific resolution passed by the State Workforce Investment Board stated: “The SWIB supports the Many Flags/One Campus model for industry directed work force training and seamlessly integrated secondary and post-secondary education — and we urge the governor to include the innovative Many Flags model as a part of his education reform and economic development strategies for Maine.”
The Maine Board of Education has supported the local Many Flags plan but no money has been included in the state budget for the project.
Robert Winglass, commissioner of the Maine Department of Labor said, “The Many Flags model is the kind of innovative, public-private approach that is needed in Maine so we can be truly competitive in the 21st century global economy.”
Steve Pound, associate director for Workforce Development, Cianbro Institute, Cianbro Companies, and also a member of the State Workforce Investment Board added, “Maine will benefit from an integrated model for education and work force development. Many Flags has the potential to be a model that can be replicated statewide as we bring public education and private business training approaches together.”
The State Workforce Investment Board is made up of more than 30 business leaders, career and technical education experts, work force training specialists, University of Maine System and Maine Community College leaders, as well as other economic and community development public officials.
Alan Hinsey, executive director of the Many Flags/One Campus Foundation
said, “We want to thank the Workforce Board for its endorsement of Many Flags/One Campus. Strong support like this from leaders in education, work force development and the private sector is critical if the Many Flags approach is to become a reality and a model for the state.”
Many Flags/One Campus promotes educational excellence and administrative efficiency by integrating, both physically and virtually, the programs, students, faculty, staff, classrooms, labs and technological
infrastructure of a network of Regional High Schools; a state-of-the-art career and technical education center; a higher education center (course and degrees offered by Maine Community College and University of Maine System); and industry training, and research and development centers of excellence.
Many Flags/Many Dollars is a $70 MILLION school that tries to be all things to all people, but is probably a recipe for disaster.
From the article the school “promotes educational excellence and administrative efficiency by integrating, both physically and virtually, the programs, students, faculty, staff, classrooms, labs and technological infrastructure of a network of Regional High Schools; a state-of-the-art career and technical education center; a higher education center (course and degrees offered by Maine Community College and University of Maine System); and industry training, and research and development centers of excellence.”
What the heck does this really mean except a big government boondoggle? Where is a similar model that is in place now that actually works that could be a confirmation that the concept has any validity and is appropriate to Maine?
The only “government boondoggle” involved here is our allowing private enterprise to take over our responsibility to educate our children.
This is a pipe dream of the RSU 13 board. it is not fully supported by the towns in RSU 13.
What are they smoking in that pipe?
This is just more poppycock.
Poppycock, perhaps, but expensive poppycock that is currently siphoning off your local tax dollars and is very hungry for more. Don’t be quite so dismissive. I am certain that many, when informed that the Titanic had sunk replied, “Poppycock!”
Sounds like a goldmine for administrators with that many participants to be brought into the mix.
Yes sir, it is, and Many Flags is aware that it is.
Honesty, doesn’t this all sound
1. Really-really expensive.
2. A bit like a commune. You know, like a massive centralized education effort one might expect to find in a communist country.
One might think it could work if one didn’t already know how un-successful communist counties have been.
Oh stop with the communist paranoia! Turning the education of our youth over to a private corporation and removing it from overview by the state and local government is the direct opposite of state controlled “communism”. BTW if you are referring to the massive “un-successful” communist run China, Cuba, and other South and Central American governments, you need to do a bit more studying.
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A truly good idea in that it provides a good standard/vocational education to those who elect to go in that direction. However, to have regional school districts fork over dollars to a private, albeit non-profit corporation is rather frightening, especially when their very administrators have just had themselves voted a fat raise while the very districts that support them are offering only minimal raises at best and none at worst to their teachers/administrators. A truly good vocational school campus supported by the public and answerable to the public should be no impossible task and be high on our list to pursue. Why then are we even contemplating turning this important educational sector over to a private organization? Sounds too much like a warning for “public education” to wake up– in my opinion.