Governor's cartoon perplexes principals

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UNCLEAR MESSAGE —   This editorial cartoon was sent to 160 high school principals across the state at the request of Governor Paul LePage. The cartoon carries a handwritten message from LePage that encourages schools to "put students first." Local principals say they are unclear as to what the governor's message means. 

STATE —  A copy of an editorial cartoon with a handwritten note from Governor Paul LePage that recently arrived in the mailboxes of 160 high school principals has some scratching their heads.

The cartoon depicts two male characters. One expresses his interest in going to school to become a welder and a text block indicates his starting salary would be $50,000.

"Loser," the other character thinks –  a text next to him indicates his starting salary after receiving an expensive liberal arts degree, will be $25,000 "if he's lucky."

LePage's message, written under the cartoon, reads "Folks. We can do better and need to do better! Let's put our students first."

The cartoon arrived with a letter dated September 7 from Jonathan Nass, the governor's senior policy adviser.

"Governor LePage was recently given the attached cartoon and asked that I forward it along to all of the state's high school principals. You will see the governor added a hand-written note. Thank you for your time and best wishes in the next school year," the letter reads.

Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School Principal Ted Moccia says he's unsure of the mailing's purpose.

"If I had a fiscally-responsible governor, I don't understand why he would waste taxpayer dollars to mail that out to me," Moccia says.

He's also unsure what he's meant to take away from the cartoon.

"I think I could interpret it about five or six different ways," says Moccia. "I don't understand why he sent it and what his motive for sending it out was."

Moccia says that he places a high value on both technical and university education.

"I understand there are many technical fields where students can get in the work field and make a good living. Obviously we value that," Moccia says.

"There's also many education degrees and four-year degrees that will lead to many lucrative jobs and careers. I don't understand why a message would come from our governor pitting one against another ... it's very strange."

Buckfield Junior-Senior High School Principal George Reuter says he did not receive a letter but got a copy from the Maine Principals' Association.

He is also unclear as to what message LePage is trying to send.

"I don't think the 'wish you a good school year' went very well with what the message was in the cartoon," says Reuter.

Reuter says Buckfield recognizes that education and careers are a process –  what a student wants to do as a freshman might be very different from what they want to do as a senior.

"Our goal is to leave opportunities open," says Reuter.

Like Moccia, he doesn't believe that either one of the cartoon character's careers is more valuable.

"Hopefully what we're doing is creating either one of the people in that cartoon," he says.

LePage's Press Secretary Adrienne Bennett says the cartoon is consistent with the governor's focus on promoting career and technical education in Maine.

Bennett says the governor believes technical training has been "pushed to the back of the classroom" for too long.

"There are jobs out there for skilled workers," Bennett says, pointing to a recent report from Georgetown University that claims there are 29 million jobs in the U.S. that pay between $35,000 and $75,000 and do not require a four-year college degree.

"The governor strongly feels that we need to do more to ensure that this type of education is seen as a valid, main-stream path," says Bennett.

She says the cartoon's message was clear – there is a stigma on career and technical education and the governor is trying to address that.

"He's saying: 'let's do better, let's make sure all options are on the table for our students.'"