Maine ranks high in per-pupil costs Education Week report shows state spending is eighth-highest in U.S.

PORTLAND – Maine spends more money on education for each pupil than all but a handful of other states, according to a national survey conducted by a trade publication that covers education.

In 2001, the most recent year in which budget numbers for all states are available, Maine spent $8,986 per student, the eighth-highest total in the nation, according to the newspaper Education Week.

“I’m sure some people will say, ‘Oh, we are such a high-spending state,”‘ said Sen. Libby Mitchell, D-Augusta, Senate chairwoman of the Legislature’s Education and Cultural Affairs Committee. “But look at the results. Our young people are performing quite well.”

The publication prints a state-by-state report card every year.

Deputy Education Commissioner Patrick Phillips said one likely factor for the ranking is Maine’s rural status. It costs more to educate students in rural states because transportation costs are higher and classroom sizes are often small because communities don’t have enough children, he said.

The report found that Maine’s average class size of 18 pupils in elementary schools is well below the national average of 21.2.

The study’s authors conclude that because of ambitious state and federal performance goals for students, many states are pushing to link spending more closely to academic results, the report said.

The report cited 31 states, including Maine that are changing the systems they use to fund education.

The fact that education in Maine is the responsibility of local government, not the state, puts Maine at a disadvantage in these kinds of state comparisons, said Lynn Olson, a senior editor for Education Week.

“Strong local-control states that leave many decisions up to local districts are not going to do as well in some of these categories,” she said.

But Mitchell said the report is a snapshot of Maine at a point in time that has already passed. She said a new funding model goes into effect this year that will be more equitable.

The Essential Programs and Services model intends to ensure that every district has the resources it needs to meet state standards, she said.

“It will be a big change,” she said. “But the whole point is to equalize funding and make sure money flows to the students.”