The University of Maine System is a case in point. Three years ago, the system was predicting an $85 million shortfall in its own budget by 2008. There was general consensus that business as usual no longer could be sustained. But proposals for major restructuring went nowhere and now we are three years further down the road.

The time has come for a full-blown restructuring of the UMS to achieve the same goals ascribed to the Governor’s hastily-drawn reorganization plan for Maine’s elementary and secondary school systems. Just as Sen. John Martin (D-Aroostook County) and others have called for fewer public school superintendents over the years, this newspaper has called for elimination of the UMS chancellor’s office and fewer university presidents.

The driving element of the Governor’s school restructuring plan is a major reduction in the number of school districts across the state. By shrinking administration and forcing greater sharing of other resources, the Governor and the Legislature contend that significant cost savings can be achieved with no adverse effect on the education of Maine students.

That same approach could and should be applied to the University of Maine System, starting with the chancellor’s office and extending to the seven campuses, each with its own president and administrative bureaucracy, and the 10 regional outreach centers.

The chancellor’s office alone has more than 100 employees, including 29 positions that carry salaries of $75,000 or more. At the same time, the chancellor’s office has no true constituency — no alumni, no faculty, no students. It exists primarily to lobby state government for more money, to keep the UMS trustees happy, to hire presidents for the various campuses, and to perform various functions common to all campuses.

Three years ago, this newspaper proposed a total restructuring that would create two university sectors — the University of Southern Maine and the University of Maine at Orono — with the presidents of each institution responsible for all state-sponsored post-secondary education in their respective sectors. Each president would report to a board of trustees, thus establishing clear lines of responsibility, authority and accountability and minimizing turf battles.

Existing campuses likely would continue to serve the regions in which they are located, though there would be an inevitable loss of autonomy as layers or administrative bureaucracy are eliminated. That loss of autonomy, however, would be a small price to pay for the efficiencies that should be achieved.

Whether we like it or not, Maine must be competitive — to some significant degree — in the salaries it offers to attract highly qualified and talented personnel to key positions. But bureaucracies almost always grow with time, and Maine simply cannot afford a state payroll that is bloated with positions, many of which may be redundant, paying salaries that approach or surpass six figures. And lest we forget, all of those high-paying positions also involve thousands of additional dollars in benefit packages, housing allowances and other compensation.

Governor John Baldacci and the Legislature have indicated their intent to take a closer look at state employees’ salaries as they seek to reduce state spending. They would do well to expand that look beyond the level of pay and consider whether many of the positions themselves could be eliminated. The University of Maine System would be a good place to start.