PARIS — Superintendent Rick Colpitts told the SAD 17 board of directors and regional state legislators that the district could be $2.2 million over the state spending limit for 2017-18.
“All because of some shifting sands,” Colpitts said as he explained to those present at Monday night’s board of directors meeting why the school district will be over the Essential Programs and Services funding requirement for the first time in 15 years.
Essential Programs and Services is designed to ensure that all schools have the programs and resources that are essential for all students to have an equitable opportunity to achieve Maine’s Learning Results, according to the Department of Education.
The state uses a complex — and some say controversial — formula to determine the amount of money a school district gets from the state to provide students with basic educational needs. The state subsidy is based on a number of factors, including property valuations.
The district has struggled to meet the requirement for years. The state has failed to fully raise its share of the funding while local taxpayers have shouldered the burden increasingly over the years.
“Although our budget-to-budget increase will be similar to previous years, the shift in student residences and a reduction in the proposed mill rate will put the district over EPS by $2,296,871,” Colpitts said.
The preliminary figure is based on projected fiscal year 2018 numbers that assume a mill rate of $8.29 per $1,000 of property value for the local share under Gov. Paul LePage’s proposed budget and 40 fewer students in what are called low-receiver towns where the towns pay 100 percent of the education costs.
Colpitts outlined the implications of the proposed governor’s budget Monday night to five local members of the Legislature: Rep. Kathleen Dillingham, R-Oxford; Rep. Phyllis Ginzler, R-Bridgton; Rep. Tom Winsor, R-Norway; Sen. Jim Hamper, R-Oxford; and Rep. Lloyd “Skip” Herrick, R-Paris.
“Shifting sands” in the budget include an anticipated increase of $555,488 in a bond payment; $500,000 in salaries; $815,015 for health insurance and other known needs in the amount of $136,869 for a total preliminary increase of $896,396, he said.
Colpitts pointed out items in the governor’s budget that may be problematic for districts like SAD 17, including what he says is the singling out of district administration by forcing districts to consolidate but is “unfairly” penalizing districts that already consolidated and have collaborative services.
“This is punishing schools that got together 60 years ago,” he said.
Colpitts also noted that the governor’s proposed budget gives “extra weight” to students in kindergarten through grade three, but removes funding for pre-kindergarten.
“We all know how important and effective that is,” he said of the pre-k program.
He said the governor’s budget also does not address issues in a state-funded report that identified additional support for disadvantaged students and special education services and other student services. Special education costs are soaring, Colpitts said.
Winsor, who sits on the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee, said he didn’t know how the governor’s budget would affect education and he intended to keep an “open mind.”
School Director Stacia Cordwell expressed displeasure over the budget cuts when the school classrooms continue to be overcrowded and lower-grade students in particular are seeing cuts in services. She challenged the changes to the current casino funding legislation that removes the requirement that it be used to supplement the education budget.
“People forget that promises were made and promises need to be kept,” Herrick said.
“It’s up to you guys to appropriate money so we don’t end up with all of it falling on local property taxes,” Director Bob Jewell said.
Legislators meet Monday night with the SAD 17 board of directors to hear a presentation from Superintendent Rick Colpitts and field questions from the board. From left are Rep. Phyllis Ginzler, R-Bridgton; Rep. Tom Winsor, R-Norway; Rep. Kathleen Dillingham, R-Oxford; Rep. Lloyd “Skip” Herrick, R-Paris; and Sen. Jim Hamper, R-Oxford.
Oxford Hills School District Superintendent Rick Colpitts told area legislators and the board of directors that the governor’s budget recommends changes to 48 sections of the state’s school funding model.