What are you going to do with that money?

That’s the question Auburn must answer as its leaders craft a city and schools budget for 2007.

Last week, the state said it would provide $79 million in additional school funding for the 2006-07 budget year. The new dollars brings the state’s level of education funding to about 50 percent, on the way to 55 percent in another two years. Of the new money, Lewiston would receive $2.63 million and Auburn would receive $1.62 million.

In Lewiston, the superintendent of schools has laid out his plans for the money. It’s not great news, but it could be worse. An influx of students with very limited English skills is forcing the city to adapt. Superintendent Leon Levesque told the Sun Journal that his school budget recommendation will go up by 6.4 percent. Fortunately, the new state funding should offset the increase, meaning that property taxes won’t go up to fund education. He also points out that Lewiston was able to return previous increases in state funding to taxpayers, including $1 million of tax relief last year.

Auburn has yet to explain how the new state funding will affect property taxes in that city. City Manager Pat Finnigan says the city departments are still working on their budget proposals.

There are always unmet needs pulling at government, whether it’s the city or the schools. Given that there’s a tax revolt in Auburn that’s been able to draw large, vocal crowds, Auburn needs to find a way to pass the new state funding along to property taxpayers.

To win passage of L.D. 1, which increased the state portion of education funding with the eventual target of 55 percent, provisions that required local governments to pass 90 percent of funding increases along to taxpayers were deleted. That left tax relief in the hands of city councilors and town selectmen.

You can say that the state should have increased its spending on education faster if you want – it’s a fair point. But ultimately, Lewiston and Auburn, and most other jurisdictions, have seen their share of state education aid increase.

With Auburn taxpayers near the boiling point, some of that money better make its way toward tax relief.