LEWISTON – By state law, the Maine Department of Education has until Feb. 1 to tell individual school districts across Maine how much money they’re getting for education in the upcoming year.

State money for education is a huge part of school budgets. The lack of state numbers makes it tough for superintendents to propose their own budgets, which go to local school boards, then town or city councilors, before homeowners know how much property taxes will cost them.

This year the state didn’t make its Feb. 1 deadline.

And as of Friday, superintendents said they still didn’t have those numbers.

The Maine Department of Education spokesman said Friday that the numbers are expected to be released Tuesday.

They’re late this year for two reasons, said department spokesman David Connerty-Marin. A few school districts submitted incorrect or late data, which slowed down the process. “And unlike previous years there were a lot more variables unknown because of the budget process. Normally this time of year the dollar amount for education is pretty much set in the governor’s budget.”

The reason for the unknowns is Gov. John Baldacci’s proposal for consolidating school districts and superintendents from 152 to 26, Connerty-Marin said. The proposal changed parts of the Essential Programs and Services funding formula, such as student-teacher ratios, which took more time to project.

Typically by this time of year Lewiston School Superintendent Leon Levesque has proposed his school budget to the Lewiston School Committee. After going through it for weeks, the committee votes on a recommended budget in March, then sends it to the Lewiston City Council.

“I’ve never seen it so late,” Levesque said Friday of the state numbers. He said he’ll have to live with late figures. “We’ll have to just work through it.”

It means that Lewiston may have to start its school budget deliberation on Wednesday without state figures. Levesque said he’ll do that by going over school-by-school spending, then adding in the revenue later.

That’s not ideal, Levesque said. Without the state figures, “we won’t know the impact” to local taxpayers. Last year about 67 percent of Lewiston $41.08 million school budget came from the state.

Auburn also is waiting for the state figures. “That gives us the revenue side of the budget, which is pretty important,” said Assistant Superintendent Tom Morrill. “We were initially informed that by now we should have them.”

Last year, more than half of Auburn’s $32.64 million school budget came from the state, Morrill said.

Barry McLaughlin, president of the Maine School Superintendents Association, said it’s more of a problem in some communities than others. Some communities don’t decide local budgets until May or June, but many decide in March.

Those that have March town meetings, including his Washington County town of Baileyville, will be challenged. “We have to post the budget and craft warrant questions” that ask taxpayers how much spending to approve ahead of time, he said. “It’s a bit frustrating right now.”

Sen. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston, who co-chairs the Appropriations Committee, said she’s urged Education Commissioner Susan Gendron to release the figures as soon as possible.

Not having them “makes it very difficult for local districts trying to put together a budget,” Rotundo said. “We need to make sure they get that information soon. They’re all waiting.”

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