Senate backs bill to provide stability to local school budgets

AUGUSTA — The Maine Senate on Monday gave initial approval to a bill that would add stability and predictability to the local school budgeting process.

With a unanimous vote, the Senate endorsed LD 1475, “An Act to Facilitate the Use of State Education Subsidies,” a bill sponsored by Sen. Rebecca Millett, the lead Senate Democrat on the Legislature’s Education Committee.

School districts regularly craft budgets in the dark because, more often than not, their budgets must be ratified by local voters before a final state budget is passed. In those cases, local voters have to give an up or down vote before they know exactly how much state education money their schools will receive.

Given the state’s longtime inability to meet its full obligation for education funding, school board’s most often assume low funding and propose cautious, conservative budgets that may ultimately underestimate how much state funding they will receive.

LD 1475 would authorize regional school units to issue a warrant article to ask residents in advance what they would like to do if the state sends more education funding than the School Board anticipated.

“This bill will save our towns and cities time, money and headache in crafting their local school budgets,” said Sen. Millett. “By asking voters in advance what they’d like to do if the state sends more money than anticipated, we can do away with costly additional budget referendums, and allow school districts to plan ahead.”

LD 1475 faces additional votes in the House and Senate.

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