As reported in the Sun Journal on Sept. 14, assistant superintendent Marc Gendron of School Union 29 in Mechanic Falls had some advice for his school committee: watch out for the Taxpayer Bill of Rights. TABOR was tried in Colorado and the state’s schools now rank 50th in the nation, Gendron was quoted saying.

It’s not true.

It seems Gendron simply reported what he was told at a recent Maine School Management Association meeting by visiting Colorado state senator Steven Johnson, whose presence was probably sponsored by the Maine Municipal Association, courtesy of Maine taxpayers.

In fact, Colorado’s average teacher salary in 2005 of $43,949 ranked 24th nationally. Student achievement ranked 18th nationally by one measure, 21st by another.

Maine spends almost 30 percent more per-student than Colorado, and paid teachers about 11 percent less before the recent boost in beginning teachers’ pay, which will bubble up through the ranks soon.

Maine’s achievement rankings, by the way, are 11th and 19th by the same two measures. Do we have to connect these Colorado guys to polygraph machines when they apply for visas to visit Maine, or what?

Tom Zimmerman, Portland