Many thanks to John Lunt for collecting Southport news for the past two weeks and writing the column. I hope the owner of the canoe found adrift has read the column and claimed his property. I've heard several reports that Brownie Troop 2147's lasagna supper on Friday, November 9 was a great success both because the young girls served the supper so gracefully, and because the food was all home-made and very tasty.

In spite of the decline in the value of the dollar against the Euro and the British pound, Kit and I ventured into Vienna, Salzburg, and Bratislava then on to England with a quick visit to Ely Cathedral in the fens and Surry, south of London, seeing baroque castles, learning a little history, experiencing the Viennese public transit system (very good), and food (also very good), listening to excellent music, and visiting with family. Our niece and her husband are into their second year of teaching at the American School built on the hills in the Vienna Woods, so they were eager to show us all the best places they had found in the area. After a week with them, we joined Kit's seven first cousins and two aunts on Guy Fawkes Day, November 5, to celebrate his Aunt Dorothy's 99 th birthday. The birthday fireworks were the indoor kind, wine and Champagne, but outside all weekend after dark, Guy Fawkes bonfires burned and fireworks lit the sky. I kept thinking that if al Qaeda wanted to plant a bomb anywhere in London, these nights would be the best time, but other than making London traffic even more confusing, no harm and much fun seemed to come with all the festivities.

Safely home we joined about 50 island residents at the Southport Memorial Library on Sunday afternoon, November 11 at 1 p.m. to recall the bravery and sacrifice of all veterans serving currently and in wars past. Although we do not all wear the poppy as most Londoners do for the week preceding November 11, Donald Duncan who read the President's proclamation and Kit Sherrill who led the short service helped focus our thoughts on a solemn tribute to so many, mostly young men and women who gave and currently give their time and strength, and too often their lives in our defense. Following the remembrance service outside around the flag pole, we trooped inside to enjoy hot cider, donuts, and cake with our neighbors. John Curtis impressed us all by appearing in his full army uniform. Many may still have their uniforms, but few would look so trim and ready for action.

Citizens gathered again in even greater numbers Monday evening at the Town Hall to hear our selectmen, school board members, Bruce McDonald, our representative to the State House of Representatives, and Jim Rier, Director of Finance and Operations in the Maine State Department of Education, explain and answer questions about the School Administration Reorganization Bill passed by the Legislature. Look for a more complete article about this meeting elsewhere in the paper, but in brief, the goal of this bill is to consolidate the 290 school districts or `units' as they are called in the bill, into 80 units to save money. Mr. Rier explained that the state is losing about 3000 students a year. With a cap on school spending looming in the next few years and building on the recommendations of a Brookings Institute Report, the administration proposed this bill to cut school administrations costs and shift the financing formulas from cost per pupil to cost based on community property evaluation via the mill rate.

Very few if any provisions in this bill gained the consent of the governed on Southport, at least as defined by those who filled the Town Hall. The strongest objections were giving up control of our school to a larger entity, even if we have representation there and increasing the amount of money we would spend on all schools in this union from the .91 mills we now spend locally with excellent results to two mills, thus raising our taxes significantly. Response to the second of these concerns was that further legislation will be introduced to reduce the two-mill spending requirement or to eliminate it. Response to the first concern was that our school board is investigating the possibility and ramifications of the Southport Elementary School becoming a private school if Southport voters choose to opt out of the reorganization. Ultimately, voters of Southport, it will be our choice to join or not to join the new unit which will include the current Union 49 and schools on the Damariscotta peninsula. That vote will probably come in June but could be as late as November 2008. So, as I see it, our job is to learn as much as possible about the effects of the bill before we vote. Our other choice, if we are definitely against the reorganization is to sign a petition circulating at the Library and elsewhere to call for a referendum to repeal the bill. 55,000 signatures are necessary to force a recall.

If you want to express you opinion or get more information from Augusta here are some names and addresses: Legislature: Joint Com-mittee on Education and Cultural Affairs, Senator Peter B. Brown - Chair, 100 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0100. Speaker of the House of Representatives, Glenn Cummings, 2 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333, (207) 287-1300. Dept. of Education, Susan Gendron - Commissioner, Jim Rier - Director of Finance and Operation (present at Southport meeting 11/12/07), 23 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333, (207) 624 -6600. By the Internet, click on the phrases in the following order: Maine.gov, State Agencies, E-F, Education, Dept. of, School Administration Reorganization. (You can sign up to get updates via e-mail). This contact information is also available on a flyer at the library. Of course we can also work through our representatives in the legislature, Bruce McDonald in the House and Dana Dow in the Senate.

This weekend don't miss the Holiday Craft and Bake sale at the Southport Memorial Library beginning Friday, November 16 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. and continuing on Saturday, November 17 at the same times.

Future events for your calendar include a meeting of the Southport Democrats to discuss election issues on Tuesday, November 27 at Dick Snyder's house in Newagen at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, December 2 beginning at 5 p.m. the Southport Methodist Choir will host a community Advent soup supper and concert at the church. On what is usually a cold and always a dark night, the soup warms our bodies and the music warms our souls as we prepare for the Christmas season. Often we can buy our favorite soup to take home.