State budget passes first test in House, headed to the Senate for more votes

School administrative reforms to create 80 districts, with new penalties and incentives added

June 6, 2007

AUGUSTA– Six days after receiving the unanimous approval of the Appropriations Committee, the state budget saw its first action on the floor of the Maine House of Representatives on Tuesday night.  Members of the Appropriations Committee presented the 800-plus page document that spells out the State’s spending priorities for the coming two years and rejected a number of attempts to chip away at the agreement that was struck between Democrats and Republicans. 

“This budget is a balance between the responsibilities we have to the citizens of Maine who depend on all of the services government provides and calls from taxpayers for real, structural change from Augusta,” said Jeremy Fischer, House Chairman of the Appropriations Committee.  “Only two places – education and healthcare – can be looked at to make meaningful savings in the budget and we are addressing both of them in this document.”

The budget contains many notable initiatives, including providing additional funding for higher education, utilizing managed care in the delivery of human services in order to control costs, and proposing measures to address overcrowding in Maine’s prisons.  However, these and other initiatives contained in the $6.3 billion package have remained out of the limelight as attention has focused on the budget proposal to reorganize Maine’s school administration systems in an effort designed to focus resources in the classroom and cut administrative overhead.

“The people of Maine have called for ways to streamline government services,” said Speaker of the House Glenn Cummings.  “They love what their schools have to offer their kids and the community, but they know that we can do better.  We are far above the national averages for school systems administration costs which continue to climb, even as the number of students in Maine falls – this reform is needed now.”

The debate over how best to reform Maine’s school system continued this week, even after the Appropriations gave unanimous support to the consolidation plan in the budget.  Members of the Legislature’s rural caucus voiced their concerns this week, leading leadership on both sides of the aisle to work together to propose an amendment to the school plan that would address some issues and help to garner broad bi-partisan support.

“The resulting amendment improves the plan and meets all of our core goals; it will create 80 school districts that will cut administrative overhead costs and instead invest money in our kids and our classrooms,” said Cummings.  “The bi-partisan agreement strikes an important balance, making the plan more workable while adding strong penalties and added incentives to better encourage local schools to work together and save taxpayer money.”

Democrats and Republicans worked together throughout the day Tuesday, in an effort to craft an amendment that would retain the strength of the Appropriations Committee’s original consolidation plan, but make some modest changes to reflect the unique circumstances of some Maine communities. The compromise amendment, House Amendment “T” to Committee Amendment A of LD 499, passed by an overwhelming vote of 114 to 27. House members who had submitted other amendments withdrew them after the compromise amendment was passed.

Under the amendment, schools will still be required to band together into 80 or fewer districts, but the proposal would give more time for some schools to build a reasonable plan, and it adds language to address schools that are working to consolidate but might be left without partners, and districts comprised of high academically performing schools.

“The focus has always been on increasing the quality of our classrooms,” said Speaker Cummings.  “In an effort to unify rural and urban legislators behind the plan we made some adjustments that will make the plan more reasonable, and will increase accountability for compliance with administrative efficiencies.” 

Other provisions in the amendment would create strong penalties and new incentives to better encourage schools to move forward in consolidating.

“The budget we supported tonight protects the health of Maine families, and puts our state on a more sustainable path,” said House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, D-North Haven. “This budget – particularly the education piece - represents months of hard work and compromise from a lot of different parties. The Governor, rural legislators and Appropriations Committee members all worked in good faith to reach a workable compromise, and the result is the best possible plan for administrative consolidation.”

The bill will now head to the Senate for further consideration.

Contact:  

Tim Feeley, 749-7578 (Cummings)
Travis Kennedy, 287-1430 (Pingree, Fischer)
Kaylene Waindle, 615-4187 (Cummings)