Friday’s editorial requires a clarification. In describing Gov. John Baldacci’s equation of education reform to the state’s “technology centers,” we referred to Maine’s Applied Technology Development Centers, specifically the two-year-old River Valley Technology Center in Rumford.

The governor’s analogy, it became clear on Friday, actually referred to the state’s regional vocational educational centers, such as the Region 9 school in Mexico and the Region 11 school in Norway. The phrasing was lifted directly from the text of Baldacci’s inauguration speech, released by his office on Wednesday evening.

Stumbling over the governor’s phraseology reinforces our belief that his analogies need work, as others also scratched their heads over the comparison. It also reminds us of the pratfalls inherent in taking political speech literally, as we’ve often found the message, and its meaning, can differ.

Basing the ambitious reform of Maine’s unwieldy network of school administration on the vocational system is a practical plan. Our only wish, however, is that the governor had simply said this in the first place.