Preliminary General Purpose Aid for Local Schools (GPA) Funding for FY 2009-10

INFORMATIONAL LETTER: 79
POLICY CODE: DB

TO: Superintendents of Schools
FROM: Susan A. Gendron, Commissioner
DATE: March 26, 2009
SUBJECT: Preliminary General Purpose Aid for Local Schools (GPA) Funding for FY 2009-10

The preliminary State subsidy information for your unit(s) is now available on the Department of Education Essential Programs and Services 2009-10 Funding website. These subsidy amounts for the FY2009-10 year are only preliminary and do not represent final action of the 124th Legislature and therefore should only be used as “initial” guidance for your budget preparations. Some calculations included in these printouts are dependent upon enactment of statutory changes.

The documents posted on the website indicate the estimated local and State share excluding and then including the estimated federal stabilization funding provided under Title XIV, the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (H.R. 1, P.L. 111-5). There are two documents posted – one document provides unit-by-unit amounts including a comparison to 2008-09 funding; and the second document provides unit-by-unit information for 2009-10 only but also provides information by municipality within school administrative districts, regional school units, alternative organizational structures, and community school districts.

Link to Department of Education Essential Programs and Services 2009-10 Funding website:
http://www.maine.gov/education/data/eps/fy10/

Please note that these estimates do not include the following:

School Construction projects approved for State participation that have not been bonded: The principal and interest amounts for un-bonded school construction projects are NOT included in this estimate. If you have an un-bonded project, you must estimate the local AND State impact and include these amounts in your budget for FY 2009-10.
Miscellaneous adjustments have NOT been included in these estimates. Miscellaneous adjustments include audit adjustments; educating students in long-term drug treatment centers adjustments; regionalization/consolidation/efficiency adjustments; and minimum teacher salary adjustments.

For additional questions regarding these estimates, please contact Jim Rier, Suzan Beaudoin, Joanne Allen or Karla Miller of the Department of Education’s School Finance and Operations by email to Jim.Rier@maine.gov , Suzan.Beaudoin@maine.gov , Joanne.Allen@maine.gov , or Karla.Miller@maine.gov