Demand school funding

The Legislature has been studying the failures of Maine’s school-funding formula for six years. There no longer is any doubt about what is wrong or what is required to make it right. The remaining question is whether lawmakers have the will to act.

As we said Saturday, public involvement is crucial. Senate President Mark Lawrence has proposed a way for the state to provide its required share of funding, making major reform affordable for all districts. But too many legislators might be willing to duck the issue by supporting instead another study that will tell them what they already know and interrupt the progress made this session on several excellent reform plans.

Don’t fall for it. To repeat comments from Saturday:

Sen. Lawrence’s plan is simple. It takes two promises made by the state, one in 1985 and the other in 1993, and establishes an order for meeting them. The ’85 promise pledges that the state will fund at least 55 percent of the cost of running public schools, although it has never come close. The ’93 promise has the state return the sales tax, now at 5 1/2 percent, to 5 percent. The senator’s plan dedicates that half-penny of sales tax to General Purpose Aid to Education until it exceeds 50 percent, then reduces the sales tax.

Because the state has never kept its promise on school funding, property taxpayers have been forced to take on more of the burden or schools have had to do without. In many case, property taxpayers have taken on more than their share and schools are still inadequately funded. These taxpayers have been carrying the state for too long; they are the reason Augusta can talk about a budget surplus. They should be first in line to benefit from any tax break — the kind of break that Sen. Lawrence’s bill provides.

Legislative Democrats will meet today to decide whether to stick with the easier plan of claiming victory by just cutting the sales tax, even if it doesn’t particularly help working families — or whether to show leadership by supporting the Lawrence proposal. Call them at the numbers listed below and tell them it’s all right to be responsible.

Republicans say they can cut the sales tax and fund schools, but have failed so far to produce a budget that would do it. Tell them to produce it or back Sen. Lawrence’s plan.

Gov. Angus King talks frequently about the importance of education, but threatens to kill the school-funding plan with a veto. Call him and tell him words won’t pay for textbooks.

Members of school boards across Northern Maine, Down East, in the western mountains and, to the surprise of some, in parts of Southern Maine have been waiting a decade for the chance to fix the school funding formula and have the state pay its fair share. The chance arrives next week, but it is hardly certain.

What is certain is that, without public involvement, the Lawrence proposal will not survive, and property taxpayers will again be stuck with the bill.

Democrats, 287-1515 in the Senate, 287-1430 in the House.

Republicans, 287-1505 in the Senate, 287-1440 in the House.

Governor’s office, 287-3531.