Somewhere around 2005, when John Baldacci was governor, this reporter announced the horrifying, off-the-charts per-pupil cost in Machias as a little over $8,500.

Now that number doesn’t look so horrifying, all things being relative. That figure’s been left in the dust as deficits and dollars skyrocket to keep pace with the times. All schools, factoring in everything from special needs to transportation, have undoubtedly at least doubled that amount. And recently Deer Isle-Stonington drove the point home when they announced a per-pupil cost of $24,000 to taxpayers.