I am deeply worried about the future of public education in Maine.
Unless the State Legislature adjusts the school funding formula this session, Mainers will find themselves paying much more for far less in their local schools next year. This is not about politics; it is about math.
We all know it. Home values have nearly doubled across Maine. With the current school funding formula, higher property valuations reduce the state’s share when it comes to paying for the Essential Programs and Services (EPS) of public education. This shifts more of the burden to local property taxes.
In this market, home values do not reflect income.
The costs of running a school have increased as much as everything else. The impact of this has been offset to a degree by the additional COVID relief funding, but that is set to expire after this school year. With higher costs and less help from the government, cuts alone will not keep things reasonable.
We will all face, as did Gorham, alarmingly higher property taxes and staff reductions at the same time.
Most folks in Maine want quality education and well-funded schools. We’ll even get by with less so that the kids get more. But just because our homes are suddenly worth twice as much does not mean we have more in the bank with which to pay significantly higher property taxes.
Without adjustments, the EPS formula will fail us all. Somebody in Augusta needs to do the math before it’s too late.
Jason Long, Buckfield
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