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RSU 22 superintendent warns proposed education bill could cut district aid as ED279 shows enrollment-driven funding drop
Summary
Superintendent Nick Raymond told the RSU 22 budget committee that the state ED279 funding formula and a pending bill (L.D. 226) could reduce state aid for the district, increasing the local share; he outlined enrollment declines, allocation changes and valuation increases that together affect local assessments.
Superintendent Nick Raymond told the RSU 22 budget committee that the state education funding blueprint (ED279) shows the district’s allocation falling and that a pending legislative proposal, L.D. 226, could further reduce state aid.
"There is a significant state funding loss for RSU 22 if it passes the way it is written," Raymond said, urging town representatives to review the bill and contact lawmakers. He said L.D. 226 remains in committee and, if enacted, would take effect in the next budget cycle rather than this year.
Raymond walked the committee through ED279 — a Department of Education finance document that compares the state’s ‘‘essential programs and services’’ (EPS) calculations with local staffing and pupil counts. He said ED279 lists RSU 22’s total allocation at $30,283,810.80 with a reported state share of 66.14% and a local share of 33.86%. That total is about $987,869 less than last year, Raymond said, largely because the district has fewer students.
He gave enrollment examples: attending pupils down by about 58 from last year and eligible-resident counts down roughly 55.5, numbers that feed directly into the ED279 formula and reduce state aid. Raymond also noted targeted allocation increases in areas such as special education (about $1,939,000) and transportation (about $50,000), which add pressure to the budget despite the overall allocation decline.
Property valuations in the four towns also rose substantially year over year, Raymond said, listing town-level valuation increases (as reported to the committee) and saying the combined valuation change was roughly 14.3%. He cautioned that even a 0% district budget increase can translate to higher local tax assessments because the state’s formula uses those valuation figures.
Raymond encouraged town representatives to examine the ED279 packet and an associated DOE explanatory video, and he offered to provide underlying scenario spreadsheets that DOE has produced. "If you’re concerned about it... reach out to any of [your representatives]," he said.
Next steps: Raymond said the committee will continue work through scheduled meetings leading up to the district budget meeting in June and urged attendees to monitor L.D. 226, which could affect next year’s allocation.
