CALAIS — Superintendent Mary Anne Spearin told the Calais School Committee earlier this month that proposed changes to the state’s school funding formula could benefit the district.
The Maine Legislature voted Thursday to pass L.D. 2226 — An Act to Amend the Essential Programs and Services School Funding Formula — and adopt three of the report’s four recommendations.
Last year, state lawmakers directed the Maine Department of Education and the Maine Education Policy Research Institute, which is funded by the Legislature and the University of Maine System, to study the models used to determine state funding for public schools.
The EPS Funding Report, released last month, identifies several problems with Maine’s school funding model — in place since 2005 — that have been especially hard on public schools in Washington County.
Spearin said the proposed changes, if enacted, could bring about $50,000 to $60,000 in additional education funding to Calais.
“I’m hopeful that it’s more than that,” she said, adding that “every little bit helps.”
The bill will change how the state calculates salaries for Maine’s educators. Previously, the Legislature set a $40,000 base salary for teachers, and schools received funding based on the difference between that base and their average teacher pay.
Calais salaries are now indexed at 0.94, meaning teachers earn about 6 percent less than the state’s base.
The report recommended changing the formula so the base salary becomes a true minimum salary, which means Calais and some other districts would receive additional funding to meet the new standard.
Spearin noted that several Washington County districts have even lower indices than Calais, meaning they would benefit even more — though all would see a funding increase.
Machias-Eastport and Jonesport-Milbridge are both currently indexed at 0.84.
The EPS funding report says the changes to the salary index could result in an overall increase of just under $38 million in state funding for schools.
It notes that nearly every district in the state would receive more money after the reindexing, with the only exception being Maine School Administrative District 54 in Skowhegan.
The second change recommended by MEPRI — and potentially the most significant for Calais — is a refinement to how the state determines a community’s “ability to contribute.”
Public school funding has traditionally relied on a community’s property tax rate — also called the mill rate — to determine how much state support a district receives. But this approach puts many rural Maine communities at a disadvantage, where high property values do not necessarily translate into high wages.
The report recommends adjusting this model to include a community’s income level when determining how much state funding its schools receive. It outlines several ways the formula could be revised by shifting the weighting between the property tax rate and a “regional adjustment” based on differences in the cost of living.
According to the report, the change will not affect the state’s overall spending on public schools. Instead, it redistributes existing funds, with about $13 million shifted to districts with greater need.
The Legislature voted to adopt this measure as part of L.D. 2226.
Spearin said a crucial part of implementing these formula changes will be maintaining the district’s understanding of the Calais school community’s overall financial situation.
Traditionally, the district gathered this information through questionnaires sent home to determine eligibility for school lunch. But with free meals available to all Calais students since 2020, the district has had to find other ways to collect the data.
Calais now sends home an “Economic Status Form,” provided by the state Department of Education.
Spearin emphasized that having accurate information about the economic situations Calais families face will be essential to securing appropriate funding if and when these changes are implemented.
The other changes recommended in the report — but not included in L.D. 2226 — were adjustments to funding for instructional staff support to better reflect what schools actually spend on training and supplies, and shifting to a regional model for managing special education.
L.D. 2226 also includes changes to how the state allocates funding for transportation, a change that is likely to benefit Calais, which, despite being one of Maine’s smallest cities by population, covers a relatively large geographic area.
