fMaine Department of Education Seeks Feedback on the Essential Programs and Services Funding Formula

Resolve 2024, Chapter 164 directs the Maine Policy Research Institute and the Maine Department of Education (DOE) to conduct a targeted review of general-purpose aid for local schools. This review will focus on recruitment, retention, salaries and benefits; property valuation as a determinant of municipal ability to pay; regional cost differences; and a comparison of other states' mechanisms. Within these focused themes, the Maine DOE will be considering expenditure-driven components, municipal ability to pay, regional adjustments, and adjustments to the state share of the total allocation. This report is due to the Maine Legislature on March 15, 2025.

In an effort to include a variety of stakeholder voices from regions all across Maine, the Maine DOE is conducting a series of listening sessions to receive your feedback. While we hope our superintendents, teachers, school business officers, directors of special services, and career and technical education directors will join in these conversations, participation is not limited to those within the field of education. To this end, each session will include a virtual-only option for participants. In order to ensure that each participant has an opportunity to speak, the Maine DOE will follow the legislative practice of a 3-minute comment.

The times and dates of these listening sessions are as follows:

• September 23, 2024 from 11:30 am-1:00 pm, Zoom Link
• September 24, 2024 from 3:00 pm-4:30 pm, Zoom Link
• September 25, 2024 from 7:00 am-8:30 am, Zoom Link
• September 26, 2024 from 5:00 pm-6:30 pm, Zoom Link
• September 27, 2024 from 3:00 pm-4:30 pm, Zoom Link

Discussion questions:

1. How does the Essential Programs and Services (EPS) funding formula align with current needs at your school?
2. Do the categories of essential programs and services adequately match your understanding of what is essential to an education?
3. Do the categories of essential programs and services align with the ways your school utilizes funding?
4. What do you consider to be the greatest barrier to equity in EPS?
5. What do you consider to be the greatest contributor to regional differences in the delivery of education in Maine?

Participants may also submit their feedback in writing to Laura Cyr, Department of Education, State House Station #23, Augusta, Maine 04333, or [email protected]. For documentation purposes, written feedback is very helpful.