A domain name for repealing consolidation

As an update to my post from Tuesday, the online presence of those battling Maine's school district consolidation law is expanding.

The Maine Coalition to Save Schools has launched a Web site, www.repealconsolidation.com, that explains the case for overturning the two-year-old law. (Thanks to Brian Hubbell of MDISchools.net for making me aware.) News of the Web site launch is making its way through the anti-consolidation circles today and a press release is expected tomorrow.

The Web site adds to the campaign's previously launched Twitter account and Ning Web site pushing a yes vote on Question 3 on November's ballot.

The pro-repeal Web site counters the launch late last week of a Web site from those defending the consolidation mandate, pushing a no vote on Question 3.

The pro-consolidation repeal Web site points to many of the reasons we've heard about previously for scrapping the school district consolidation mandate. The law has led to no cost savings, as were promised, and it's even led to a number of unintended financial consequences, the Web site says. Those consequences, according to the Web site, include sharp cost shifts among towns in newly formulated districts; the loss of some federal funds intended for small, rural school districts; and increased compensation costs for unifying disparate teacher contracts in new districts -- likely at the highest scales.

The pro-repeal campaign's Web site launch comes a day after DownEast.com's Mike Tipping said the use of free social networking in the absence an official Web site indicated that "[t]hey don't seem to have much of an infrastructure in place.... If Yes on 3 wants to win, they'll have to do a lot more than tweet."