Portland officials welcome EPS funding draft but warn it won’t replace this year’s cuts
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Summary
Portland Public Schools officials told the board’s Public & Legislative Affairs Committee that draft changes to the state’s EPS funding formula (LD 2226) would likely boost funding for most districts and could add $1–2 million for Portland, but they warned the revisions would not fully recover recent state funding losses and implementation timing is uncertain.
Superintendent Scallon urged the committee to support LD 2226 — MEPRI’s draft recommendations for changes to Maine’s Educational Essential Programs and Services (EPS) funding formula — while cautioning the bill would likely be a partial, incremental improvement rather than a full remedy for recent cuts.
“Directionally, this is something we should be supporting,” Superintendent Scallon said, summarizing the bill’s two primary components: a regional‑cost adjustment and a larger multiplier for economically disadvantaged students. He said the regional adjustment could put “between $1,000,000 and $2,000,000 in EPS funding for the district,” and that the low‑income multiplier could increase up to 1.35 for some students.
Scallon said MEPRI’s scenarios show roughly 150 districts would gain funding under the draft while about 30 districts would see reductions. He also explained why Portland’s net benefit could be limited: the state’s current local contribution calculation relies heavily on property‑valuation assumptions, and Portland’s high valuation means the district already bears a large share of local cost.
The superintendent warned about volatility tied to the state‑calculated mill rate and urged a safeguard. “A 10¢ change in that mill rate is about a $2,000,000 impact to Portland,” he said, adding that a proposed “breaker” to cap losses at 10% would help districts plan for year‑to‑year swings.
Board members who attended the Augusta hearing reported common testimony themes: while the draft would help many districts, it would not fully undo the district’s recent $4,000,000 reduction in state funding. One board member noted that the draft element sometimes discussed as a “hold harmless” guarantee was estimated in testimony to cost about $11,000,000 — a magnitude the legislature would have to weigh separately.
On timing, Scallon said the bill’s changes would not affect the coming school year; the earliest possible start would be school year 2027–28, and enactment would still require appropriation in a future biannual budget, so passage does not guarantee immediate funding.
The board discussed outreach plans to district legislators — including those who represent parts of Portland and neighboring towns where the draft produces mixed outcomes — and emphasized continued advocacy to refine language (including special‑education treatment) and to press for implementation safeguards.
The committee did not take a formal vote on LD 2226. Scallon and staff said they would add the bill to the district tracker and continue coordinating testimony and outreach with community partners.