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Committee hears broad questions on expanding public preschool to include some 3‑year‑olds (LD 21‑14)
Summary
Department and sponsor said LD 21‑14 would make it statutorily allowable for SAUs to include 3‑year‑olds in public preschool and allow startup grants if funding becomes available; witnesses and parents raised fiscal, identification and childcare‑market concerns and asked the committee to gather data before a work session.
Representative Kelly Murphy introduced LD 21‑14 on behalf of the Department of Education, describing it as an act to allow public preschool programs to provide instruction to children who are 3 years of age and to clarify allowable costs. Murphy said state funding in the bill would apply to 3‑year‑olds identified for special education; inclusion of non‑identified 3‑year‑olds would be permissive and at the discretion of local SAUs.
Liane Larson of the Department of Education testified LD 21‑14 expands the statutory definition of public preschool to include programs that provide instruction to 3‑year‑olds and clarifies that funding for 3‑year‑olds only applies to those identified for special education. Courtney Boloan (department policy director) emphasized the bill is a language change to make inclusion allowable for SAUs and that identification and the CDS transition are related but separate topics; she said funding is not included in the bill, although statute could allow startup grants if funding becomes available.
Committee members raised repeated questions about fiscal responsibilities, whether startup funds would be defined, how identification and IEP determination would be handled, potential over‑identification 'for dollars,' and whether the bill might create unintended local mandates or destabilize private childcare providers. Representative Bagshaw asked for a list of SAUs that have requested the change; the Department agreed to provide numbers and details for work session.
Testimony from Robbie Feinberg (Maine School Management Association) offered qualified support, calling the change permissive and noting the usefulness of startup funds when available, while urging clarifying language to avoid requiring districts to enroll non‑identified 3‑year‑olds. Multiple childcare providers and advocates (Heather Martin, Rita Furlough, Jenny Eastman, others) warned of potential negative effects on community childcare ecosystems and asked for guardrails, partnership requirements and detailed budget analysis.
The committee closed the hearing on LD 21‑14 with the chair saying many questions surfaced and promising to gather additional reports and data (including CDS reports) before scheduling a work session.
