In Maine, more heat on virtual schools

For those following the virtual charter schools issue here in Maine, it's been a dramatic week.

On Tuesday, the state's charter commission rejected both virtual charter school applications, a move expected to displease Gov. Paul LePage. The last time they failed to accept either of the two proposals -- one to be managed by K12 Inc., the other by Connections Learning -- the governor suggested they reconsider or resign. Indeed, LePage did not disappoint. On Wednesday he held two fiery press conferences where he proclaimed -- falsely -- that Maine had the worst public schools in the nation, that the charter commission had made their decision because of "intimidation" from public school interests, and that the commissioners should, indeed, resign.

Today the board president of one of the rejected schools, Maine Virtual Academy, made public an angry letter she sent to the charter commission, while education commissioner Steve Bowen did his best to defend the governor's position under pressure from both of WGAN radio's morning hosts.

Why all the heat?

For some background, you may want to read my investigation into the role K12 Inc and Connections Learning have played in developing digital policy here in Maine, and the associated sidebar on those company's track record in other states. It's worth noting that the board of Maine Connections Academy -- associated with Connections Learning -- consists of close LePage allies including Republican Party vice-chair Ruth Summers (wife of 2012 US Senate nominee Charlie Summers), state Rep. Amy Volk (R-Scarborough), and former state senator Carol Weston, who heads the state chapter of the Koch Brothers' Americans for Prosperity.

Maine panel rejects digital charters, governor blasts panel

As I reported in today's Portland Press Herald, Maine's charter school commission yesterday rejected two proposed full-time digital schools that were to be operated by the nation's largest online school companies, K12 Inc and Connections Learning.

The companies were the subject of a Maine Sunday Telegram investigation published Sept. 2 that revealed how they were influencing the creation of Maine's nascent digital school policies.

The commissioners also rejected two of three "brick and mortar" charter school applications.

Earlier today, Gov. Paul LePage reacted angrily, suggesting the charter commission was broken and the commissioners should resign. Education Commissioner Steve Bowen attended the joint, impromptu press conference. My colleague Steve Mistler has the story.

Mr. King Goes to Washington

On January 4 Angus King, the two-term independent governor of Maine, will replace Olympia Snowe in the United States Senate. What's he got planned? Where does he stand on the pressing issues on The Hill? What's he have to say about his decision to caucus with the Democrats and the committee assignments he received as a result? And where's he going to live?

I sat down with King recently and posed these and other questions. The results are in today's Maine Sunday Telegram.

For more on King's background, readers may also be interested in this biographical piece I did as part of a series on the Senate candidates. And if you'd prefer an exit interview with Sen. Snowe, check out my colleague Kevin Miller's story today.

Some more on the Republican's Yankee Problem

For those with an interest in how regionalism is shaping U.S. politics, I have a new extended essay in today's Maine Sunday Telegram on how the G.O.P. has managed to make itself all-but extinct in the region of its birth.

The argument is built on the framework developed in my most recent book, American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America. If you're interested in examining the "nations map" more closely, there's a high-resolution PDF available here at World Wide Woodard.

Readers of the print edition will find it on the front of the Insight section today. My thanks to staff artist Michael Fisher for the excellent "elephant-in-the-boat"  illustration.

Regular readers will recall that I floated an initial version of this argument last month at Washington Monthly's Ten Miles Square.

Jane Smiley on American Nations, Hugh Laurie and Republic of Pirates

From the Department of Shameless Self-Promotion's Book Publishing Unit:

Jane Smiley's Favorite Book: Today, the Sacramento Bee asked some bestselling authors for their 2012 holiday book recommendations. Jane Smiley -- author of 22 books -- chose American Nations.  "It's my favorite book of the year," she wrote. Thank you!


Hugh Laurie meets Republic of Pirates: Media outlets around the world reported recently that Hugh Laurie of House is in negotiations to play Blackbeard in NBC's forthcoming drama Crossbones, which is based on my third book, The Republic of Pirates. The original story appears to have been carried by Hollywood Reporter, but it's lead to stories everywhere from Entertainment Weekly to London's Guardian to this website.

A Maine Sunday Telegram trifecta: This past week's Maine Sunday Telegram Bestseller List for Paperback Non-Fiction simultaneously included American Nations (#1), Lobster Coast (#3) and Republic of Pirates (#6). Thank you, Southern Maine readers, for your continued interest and support.

Speaking on the oceans on MPBN's Speaking in Maine, Dec. 5, 1pm

As some of you know, my first book and years of my reporting career focused on the problems facing the world's oceans. In May, I joined Graham Shimmield, director of the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, in a public discussion of the challenges facing the seas.

The talk is airing tomorrow, Dec. 5, on the radio stations of the Maine Public Broadcasting Network. It's part of their "Speaking in Maine" series, and starts at 1pm.

For those with further interest in this topic, my book is entitled Ocean's End: Travels Through Endangered Seas. Alas, it's the only one of my four titles not to make this week's Maine Sunday Telegram Paperback Non-Fiction Bestseller List, but that doesn't mean it isn't good!

Maine's War for the Shore

A trivia fact you may not know: Maine is one of the few states where private landowners -- not the state -- own the seabed exposed at low tide. And under a controversial 1989 court decision, public easements were defined as being limited to those delineated in a document adopted by the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1647: "fishing, fowling, and navigation."

The 1989 decision is regularly ignored in practice and has been condemned by legal scholars, the State of Maine, and even some high court justices themselves. Now there appears to be fresh motion toward redefining public trust rights in the intertidal zone, a topic I've written about in today's Maine Sunday Telegram.