Maine Department of Education to Hold Sessions to Review School Funding Formula

The Maine Department of Education will host a series of listening sessions this week to hear from local school officials about the state’s school funding formula.

Representatives from the Department and the Maine Policy Research Institute will meet with superintendents, teachers and other stakeholders to discuss how the funding formula aligns with the current needs of Maine schools.

Lewiston Schools Superintendent Jake Langlais said he thinks the formula should include some sort of metric that assesses a community’s ability to raise additional taxes.

“I really think the model asks too much of low-income communities. Lewiston Public Schools is the largest beneficiary in the state of Maine, but we also have by far the highest level of need because of the community, demographics and poverty,” he said.

Lewiston’s limited business base and small low-income population put a strain on taxpayers who must support the district’s vulnerable students, Langlais said. He added that it took the community three votes to pass this year’s budget.

The ministry will present its findings on the funding formula to the Legislative Assembly in March.