Governor LePage should abolish the Dept. of Education

Amidst the ongoing controversy over Governor LePage’s refusal to nominate a permanent Commissioner of Education, lest the illustrious William Beardsley be rejected by leftist legislators who don’t appreciate his superb qualifications, let the Governor do what President Ronald Reagan tried to do: simply abolish the entire department. Alas, Reagan wasn’t able to accomplish this and was later surprised that most professional educators and their organizations opposed his re-election.

It was his belated effort to win back those folks that led to the selection of the Teacher in Space. A principal reason for the pressure to launch the Challenger space shuttle despite dangerously cold weather in Florida was the intended hookup to New Hampshire teacher and amateur astronaut Christa McAuliffe during Reagan’s State of the Union Address on the night of January 28, 1986. As we all know, she and the other astronauts all died not long after the launch.

Governor LePage, thankfully, faces no such “life and death” issues as he works to improve education at all levels in the state of Maine. If it requires eliminating the entire Department of Education in the name of progress, so be it. Surely its principal functions can be handled by another state department or two.

As for former Husson University President Beardsley, he deserves the opportunity to demonstrate further his remarkable leadership abilities.