AUGUSTA –The Maine Senate gave final passage to LD 1274 aptly titled “An Act to Restore Equity in Education.”
This fiercely debated bill, which was enacted and is expected to be signed by the Governor, will begin to reverse the years of shrinking school funding for Aroostook County and rural Maine, according to Senator Roger L. Sherman (R-Aroostook).
“I am extremely pleased that we were able to enact these small changes to the Essential Programs and Services (EPS) formula that distributes state funding to our local school districts,” Sherman said. “This Legislature recognized that rural schools have been adversely impacted by the original EPS formula and this legislation is a small step toward restoring a more equitable funding formula,” Sen. Sherman said.
The changes to the funding formula do not take effect until the 2012-13 school year so that school budgets set for next year will not be impacted. The following year however, schools in Senator Sherman’s district will likely receive an additional $700,000 and the total additional dollars for the entire county will be approximately $1.4 million.
Senator Roger Sherman represents District 34, which encompasses southern and central Aroostook County, including Fort Fairfield, Houlton and Presque Isle.
