School-funding opportunity

Gov. Angus King’s expressed hope last week that Maine could increase the state’s General Purpose Aid to Education until it became the source of majority funding presented legislators with an opportunity to come together on an area for which there is broad but uncoordinated agreement. The governor’s comments give hope to underfunded school administrators and overburdened property taxpayers that relief is in sight.

Gov. King’s comments, at a joint meeting of the Bangor and Brewer city councils, came with a couple of caveats, most importantly, the goal depends on the economy remaining strong. The governor has been an incrementalist on the issue of school funding, willing to increase state money to schools well ahead of the inflation rate but reluctant to bring Maine up to its statutory 55 percent funding goal. His reason — that the state might not be able to sustain that funding level — is understandable, but given what towns have been forced to ask of their property taxpayers and what schools have simply done without, a more ambitious effort is crucial.

Democrats, led by Senate President Mark Lawrence, already support majority funding by the state and were put off from that goal last session only because they could not persuade enough Republicans to join them in overriding a governor’s veto of their plan. As with the governor’s comments, the Democratic plan would have required approximately three years to reach majority funding, so meshing Gov. King’s ideas with those of Sen. Lawrence shouldn’t be too difficult.

Republicans, too, can find something to like in these plans. The GOP announced last session that Maine could have both a cut in sales tax and adequate school funding. They won the tax-cut debate; now is the time to deliver on education. And there is further tax-cutting opportunities here, as well. The idea of increasing state aid to communities for education is to give local property taxpayers a break. Some state education money, however, is needed in addition to the local share because, particularly in rural areas, so many students are denied the kind of education wealthier towns take for granted — music and art programs, honors courses, full lab facilities, foreign language instruction.

But nothing stops lawmakers from returning more funds to the local level along with a requirement that the towns dedicate at least, say, 80 percent of additional funding to tax relief. Or send most of the money back directly to taxpayers with the understanding that it is for property-tax relief, reserving some for local government. Either way guarantees that the large majority of funds go to property taxpayers while recognizing that some schools need additional help.

Last session, the Legislature and the King administration made significant improvements to the state formula used to distribute education money. That was half the battle. The second half is for Augusta to deliver a fair share of funding to schools. The opportunity has arrived.