LEWISTON – After hearing conservative Republicans argue that government spending needs to be limited, the Lewiston School Committee voted Monday to postpone a resolution against the statewide referendum until Oct. 18.

On that date the Lewiston School Committee will meet with the Auburn School Committee to talk about the Taxpayers Bill of Rights on the November ballot.

Lewiston School Superintendent Leon Levesque told the committee that if the referendum passed, Lewiston would lose $1 million for education.

That’s because, Levesque explained, the Essential Programs and Services education formula, which has provided Lewiston with more money, would be gone.

In EPS’s place, schools would receive money for education based on spending, the cost of inflation and growth in student population, but not demographics.

TABOR would not consider a community’s lack of ability to pay, Levesque said, adding that compared to the state average, Lewiston underspends for education. TABOR would assume that every community – rich ones like Cape Elizabeth and poorer ones like Lewiston – had the same ability to pay for education.

And passage would also eliminate the state’s commitment to ramp up, or spend more, on education in the next several years, Levesque said.

The resolution stated that TABOR will hurt local schools, erode local control and require a two-thirds vote for higher spending, which “runs contrary to the democratic principal of majority rule.”

Several committee members spoke against TABOR.

“Lewiston loses its local control,” said committee member Thomas Shannon. “I don’t like the idea of giving that control up.”

“The city of Lewiston should take a stand for Lewiston schools,” agreed John Butler Jr. “We as a board should oppose TABOR. It’s not good for education.”

But committee member Stavros Mendros disagreed, saying TABOR deserves their support.

Mendros took issue with Levesque’s estimate that Lewiston would lose $1 million. That would only happen, Mendros said, if the Lewiston City Council did not approve higher spending by a two-thirds margin, and local voters rejected the spending in a city referendum.

Both the super majority vote and local referendum are required by the proposed referendum for spending to go higher than the cost of living. Mendros predicted that Lewiston voters “would vote responsibly.”

During a public session, citizens Bob Stone and Larry Poulin also spoke for TABOR.

Stone called the referendum “a gentle bill that seeks to rein in unsustainable spending.” While the Palesky referendum of several years ago called for draconian cuts, TABOR limits spending to the cost of inflation, and allows voters to decide if spending should go higher.

Maine taxpayers face high taxes, high energy costs and low incomes. “Taxpayers are overburdened,” Stone said.

Poulin urged committee members not to pass a resolution “with false information and misstatements.”

At committee member Norman Prevost’s suggestion, the board voted 5-2 to table the resolution against TABOR until Oct. 18, when information from both sides could be heard.

Shannon suggested the board hear from the city’s attorney what TABOR’s impact to Lewiston would be if the referendum passed.

The Lewiston City Council is scheduled to discuss TABOR tonight at 7.