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State lawmakers tell Scarborough school board EPS formula review, construction costs and data‑privacy changes are coming
Summary
State legislators told the Scarborough Board of Education (Oct. 16, 2025) that a MEPRI review of the EPS funding formula could add indicators such as relative community income or student‑poverty measures, that statewide school construction needs are large, and that new state data‑privacy protections for minors are likely to be debated next session.
State lawmakers who visited a Scarborough Board of Education workshop on Oct. 16 warned that structural changes under consideration at the state level could affect the district’s funding and operations.
Rep. Kelly Murphy, chair of the House Education and Cultural Affairs Committee, said the Maine Education Policy Research Institute (MEPRI) is modeling potential changes to the EPS (Essential Programs and Services) funding formula and may recommend adding a relative‑income indicator or a student‑poverty element. “One of the things they’re thinking of is adding, if perhaps an indicator for relative income in a community,” Murphy said, adding that preliminary work and modeling will continue into January.
Rep. Drew Gautin, chair of the Appropriations Committee, framed that work inside the state budget context, noting voters’ long‑standing goal that the state cover 55% of K–12 costs. “The goal that we’ve been told to meet by voters is, that to fund 55% of the cost of K to 12,” he said, and cautioned that changes to the formula can create winners and losers among districts unless phased carefully.
Sen. Anne Carney, who chairs judiciary committees and is working on related measures, flagged three items she expects the Legislature to address: an EPS review, new data‑privacy rules limiting how minors’ data is collected and sold, and school‑construction funding reforms including a potential bond or matching program. On data privacy, Carney said Maine lacks a statewide framework now and is looking at models similar to Maryland’s that set baseline protections and limits on collection for minors.
Board members pressed lawmakers on practical consequences for Scarborough. Chair Shana Lindstrom said Scarborough will ask voters this year for a $129,000,000 construction package and that changes to the EPS formula could materially alter local fiscal expectations. She described Scarborough as “often believed to have a very high relative income” while noting “hidden poverty” in the community.
Lawmakers and board members discussed revenue options, constitutional limits on differentiating property assessments, and how other states fund schools, including a cited $11,000,000,000 statewide estimate to address aging school facilities. Murphy mentioned proposals that have been discussed elsewhere — a millionaire’s tax or a sales‑tax contribution to school construction — but said options are politically and legally complex.
Lawmakers also previewed programmatic and curricular conversations that could affect districts, including possible shifts in the Maine Learning Results (for example, expanding financial‑literacy emphasis or Wabanaki and other ethnic studies) and the state’s work to expand special‑services coverage for ages 3–5. Student testimony and local district pilots (for example, Portland’s cell‑phone policy pilot) were cited as influential in shaping committee work.
Why it matters: If MEPRI’s modeling leads lawmakers to adopt new indicators or formula changes, Scarborough could see shifts in state aid distribution that affect local budgeting and the referendum calculus. Separately, data‑privacy rules or requirements tied to procurement of instructional technology could change how districts select vendor applications.
What’s next: Legislators said the deep modeling and committee work will continue over the winter and that they expect bills in the 2026 session; they invited Scarborough residents and students to testify by mail or Zoom during committee hearings.
