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RSU 57 superintendent urges legislature to change state funding formula, says LD 226 would help district
Summary
Superintendent Stephen Marquis told the March 11 RSU 57 school board he testified in Augusta in support of LD 226 to reform Maine’s Essential Programs & Services funding formula, saying the district could see about $1.2 million in additional state aid under proposed changes and urging local advocacy.
Stephen Marquis, superintendent of Regional School Unit 57, told the board on March 11 that he testified before the Legislature’s Education and Cultural Affairs Committee in support of LD 226, a proposed revision to Maine’s school‑funding model he described as urgently needed for districts like RSU 57.
Marquis summarized the current formula — the Essential Programs & Services (EPS) model — and argued it results in uneven state support that favors wealthier districts. He said RSU 57’s share of EPS subsidy has declined substantially over time and that a change in the regional adjustment and weighting could boost the district’s state subsidy. "Without LD‑226, the students and districts like RSU 57 will continue to wait," Marquis told the board, urging community members to contact their legislators.
Marquis provided a rough estimate based on committee analyses: depending on how the bill is finalized, RSU 57 could receive on the order of $1.2 million more in state subsidy in the next biennium. He summarized two levers under discussion — regional index adjustments and different weightings between property valuation and economically disadvantaged counts — and said the study suggests more districts would gain than lose under the proposed changes.
Board members and administrators discussed political strategy and urged local outreach. Several members asked how constituents can help; Marquis recommended drafting short constituent letters and noted he had provided written testimony to the committee. He said the bill had broad support among education organizations and that the committee planned work sessions before any floor vote.
The board did not take a formal vote on the legislation. Marquis said the next immediate step is ongoing committee deliberations in Augusta; he encouraged the community to contact representatives and follow the committee’s work sessions.
