Only one Boothbay region school unit received additional state education funds resulting from the two-year state budget approved by the Legislature earlier this month. The Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor Community School District is receiving $82,754 in additional funding for fiscal year 2018.

But municipal school departments Southport and Edgecomb received no additional funding based on the Department of Education’s Essential Program and Services (EPS) formula.

CSDs faired better statewide under the formula than municipal school districts. More than half of the state’s CSDs received additional funding. Five of the nine will receive more funding for FY 2018. Edgecomb and Southport were two of 56 municipal school units receiving no additional funds. One hundred three municipal school units will receive additional funding. The updated educational subsidies for FY 2018 for Boothbay region schools are Edgecomb, $246,199.69; Southport, $26,318.84; and Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor, $712,830.35.

Edgecomb and Southport weren’t the only Lincoln County coastal communities shut out for more money. Bremen, Bristol, Nobleboro and South Bristol won’t receive additional state subsidies. Damariscotta, Newcastle and Wiscasset will all receive more. Damariscotta receives a $34,891 increase,Newcastle $25,415 and Wiscassset $167,516.94. Regional School Unit 40 which includes Waldoboro and four Knox County towns received an additional $590,526.59.

The two-year state budget increases public K-12 spending by $162 million. Local school units receive $49 million in FY 2018 and $113 million in FY 2019. In FY 2018, additional funding must be used for property tax relief. The budget also requires more money for classroom education. Funding designated for classroom education increased from the current 59 to 61 percent in 2018-19 and to 70 percent in 2022-23.

Public schools were in line for a $300 million increase if the legislature adopted a 3 percent surtax on incomes of $200,000 approved by Maine voters in 2016. Instead, a compromise of increasing the lodging tax to 10.5 percent was crafted between Democrat House Speaker Sarah Gideon of Freeport and Republican Senate President Michael Thibodeau of Winterport. But the proposed compromise failed for lack of a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives. Legislator Stephanie Hawke is one of 54 House Republicans who voted against the compromise budget.

The Legislature’s failure to enact a budget by end of the fiscal year resulted in a three-day state government shutdown. Hawke ultimately supported an alternative proposal that resulted in more state spending, an additional $1.15 million for Head Start funding, and a two-year moratorium on additional reimbursement rate reductions in the Maine Care behavioral health  program.

In a column to the Boothbay Register, Hawke explained her decision supporting higher state spending.

“I acknowledge this is not a perfect budget, it could’ve been a lot worse,” she wrote. “I remain troubled the state budget continues to grow significantly every two years and now surpassing the $7 billion mark. I’m pleased we fought off new tax increases and implemented substantial education reforms. We must find a better way for controlling future state spending.”

Hawke said the budget included $5 million in grants for voluntary regionalization. The grants promote incentives for neighboring school units working together creating more opportunities for students and reducing costs for transportation facilities, professional development and special education.

The final education funding figures for 2017-18 are available at http://www.maine.gov/education/data/eps/fy18/FY18_GPA_Preliminary_Compare_16Feb2017_04Jul2017.xlsx