School funding flap goes to state

AUGUSTA – A decades-old dispute between Wells and Ogunquit over funding of their shared school district spilled over into the Legislature with residents arguing over a bill to change the current funding formula.

The bill sponsored by Sen. Mary Andrews, R-York, would base Ogunquit’s share solely on the number of students and eliminate property value from the formula. The change in school system funding would be phased in over three years.

Ogunquit’s share now is calculated based on 67 percent valuation and 33 percent school population. The issue has been controversial for years and has led to unsuccessful negotiations between the towns to dissolve the district.

Ogunquit representatives told the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee that the town pays more than $60,000 for each of the 55 students it has in the district.

“Ogunquit pays a grossly disproportionate share of the costs, doesn’t have any voting power within the school committee and doesn’t have any bargaining power to resolve disputes,” said Loring DeAgazio of Ogunquit.

Wells residents argued that this change would be financially devastating to the town and would set a dangerous precedent in which property-rich towns with few students could skirt their responsibilities to fund public education.

Thursday’s public hearing was not the first time the two towns have gone to the Legislature for help. The Legislature created the Wells-Ogunquit Community School District in 1980, after Ogunquit seceded from Wells.

At that time, Ogunquit’s share of the school costs was based solely on property valuation. That was changed in 1999 at Ogunquit’s request.