Maine

Funding priorities for p-12 and higher education

Maine continues to pursue substantial support for education funding. The Department of Education (DOE) maintains the state's contribution for public education at 55%.¹ Seeking to advance state initiatives without vast intrusion for taxpayers, "Governor Mills proposed a $41.3 million increase for [General Purpose Aid (GPA)] in her biennial budget, resulting in a lower mill expectation from the prior year, down to 8.28 from 8.48."² Aligned with recent changes to the funding formula, "The legislature approved the Governor's budget, and appropriated an additional $3 million in funds to GPA for FY2019-20, targeted toward Career and Technical Education schools and the Maine Education Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing."³ The DOE outlined that funds for FY2020 are focused on assessment ($50 per-pupil [4YO/PreK-12]), technology ($109 per-pupil [4YO/PreK-8], $327 [9-12]), primary education students (.10 Weight [4YO/PreK/K-2]), and economically disadvantaged students (.05 Weight [4YO/ PreK/K-8], .05 [9-12]) to achieve equity.⁴

Changes to funding formula for p-12

Maine recently made changes to its Career and Technical Education cost model. The DOE's School Finance and Compliance Team found that some schools expended greater/lesser amounts of funds than previously expected. Customarily, the team investigated disparities within the model, publishing a report that outlined causes of a reduced allocation for fiscal year FY2020. They attributed this reality to four reasons: (1) In FY2019, there was a legislatively enacted one-time additional appropriation of $2 million; (2) The FY2018 actual expenditures used in the calculation of the FY 2020 hold harmless are lower than the actual expenditures of FY2017, which were used to calculate the FY2019 "hold harmless;" (3) The FY2020 inflation factor...is lower than the FY2019 inflation factor; and (4) The FY2020 student enrollment... is lower than FY2019.⁵

Pressing state issues affecting p-12 education

Pressing state issues affecting P-12 education funding range from academic achievement, charter schools, and legal settlements. In a 2018 brief, Educate Maine (EM) claimed that Maine has not made progress in closing the achievement gap of low-income students.⁶ Budgetary allocations show efforts to divert funds for disadvantaged populations as a priority for the state. The Maine Charter School Commission is approaching its numerical limit of allowable public charter schools. With a legislative limit of 10, the state is reviewing a proposal for the remaining seat.⁷ Additionally, select public school busses are eligible for a portion of a $21 million allocation of a high-profile Volkswagen settlement involving multiple states.⁸

Exclusive to higher education: trends in state funding for public institutions

Higher Education has secured the attention of organizations who seek to advance opportunity for populations beyond P-12. In 2016, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and EM emphasized the need to sustain support for postsecondary institutions, citing the Legislature's Office of Fiscal and Policy Review higher education expenditure value and the Maine Center for Economic Policy's state funding to student/family share ratio.⁹ EM declared that state support has been inconsistent. Last year, they claimed, "The average net cost of college for Maine students is higher as a percent of per capita income than New England... [and] have a higher annual debt burden as a percent of per capita income than New England."¹⁰ They propose the state take a greater and consistent level of fiscal accountability.

P-12 Per-Pupil (Operating Cost) Expenditure: $12,197.95 (2017-2018);¹¹ $6,304 (2018-2019 [State Contribution])¹²

Allocation of State Dollars and Percent of the State Budget for P-12:¹³ $1,297,414,699;¹⁴ 53.37% (2018-2019)