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DOME MEA Report Shows Gov. LePage Budget Reduces Education Funding Again After careful analysis, the MEA released a new report in April which shows a district-by-district comparison of the amount of funding in 2015-16 each receives under Governor LePage’s budget proposal compared to the new proposal released by House Speaker Mark Eaves, entitled a Better Deal for Maine. The MEA’s five-page report shows the amount of money the State provides for education through the state funding formula to each district under the Governor’s Budget proposal, under the Better Deal for Maine and the difference between the two. The Better Deal provides hundreds of thousands of additional dollars for many public schools. Examples of additional funding in 2015-16 compared to the governor’s proposal under the Better Deal are: Lewiston: $385,756 Portland: $1,322,574 Waterville: $134,699 MSAD 61: $393,775 MSAD 17: $408,496 Bangor: $428,952 RSU 79/MSAD 01: $136,787 Augusta: $261,443
According to the new MEA analysis, based off Department of Education data, there is not a single school district in the
state that would receive less money under the Better Deal proposal. Some districts (minimum receivers) receive the same state contribution under both plans, as reflected in the data. The Better Deal proposal provides an additional $20 million in state education funding. This additional funding reduces the local contribution required under the state formula, reducing the mill rate required locally, which alleviates pressure on property taxes for local homeowners. While the Better Deal doesn’t fulfill the obligation to fund schools at 55%, as mandated by voters in 2004, it increases the state contribution to 47.1%. The state contribution is 46.5% in the current fiscal year and would slide to 46.1% next year under the Governor’s proposal. “It is clear a Better Deal for Maine is also a better deal for Maine students and schools. If we are serious about doing what’s right for students then we, as a state, need to be serious about doing what works. That means giving our schools the funding they need to provide students with the instruction they deserve, making sure our class sizes are manageable and our educators have the resources, mentoring, and support that every professional needs—the MEA believes the Better Deal budget proposal moves the state in that direction,” said Lois Kilby-Chesley, teacher and President of the Maine Education Association.
To see the side-by-side analysis of funding for 2015-16 for each school district, click here.
MEA members Educate Legislators on Key Issues and Support Elimination of Smarter Balanced Assessment
More than two dozen lawmakers and education leaders in the state attended a first of its kind discussion hosted by the MEA in early April. The forum, entitled “Learning First: Common Core, Smarter Balanced, Proficiency Based Education” brought classroom teachers together with policymakers to share real-life experiences on the issues that affect the profession and students. The Legislature considered several bills regarding each of these issues during the session, including a bill to end the state contract with Smarter Balanced and do away with the test entirely, a bill to raise the starting teacher pay to $40,000 and a bill to remove the mandate for a proficiency based diploma and increase the COLA. In addition, MEA members worked to protect their rights as union members and shared their stories about the value of the Association as they lobbied against so called “right to work” bills which are a direct attack against union membership. In order to ensure legislators had the proper facts regarding these important issues, MEA members led the “Learning First” forum and testified in Augusta on several occasions to share their experiences in the classroom with legislators who are either passing or rejecting key policy issues affecting education and learning. Some of the bills mentioned above will be carried over and discussed again next session and others, as of press time, were still awaiting final votes. The MEA is your resource and support in Augusta, and will keep you informed on these key issues. June 2015 • www.maineea.org
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