A group of Democrat legislators, headed by Rep. Mana Abdi (D-Lewiston), would take away Mainers’ say in their local school budgets, opening the door for schools to secure potentially massive spending and tax increases without taxpayer approval.
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“The intention behind budget referenda was to ensure accountability, but in pratice they have become costly, low turnout exercises that do not reflect the will of the broader public,” said Rep. Abdi.
Rep. Abdi put forward LD 1579, “An Act to Abolish School Budget Referenda,” with support from five Democratic co-sponsors.
Abdi’s bill removes the current legal requirement for regional school districts to hold a referendum vote to give Mainers within the district a say in their proposed budget.
School budgets are a significant factor in determining property taxes, with local property taxes accounting for 37 percent of Maine school funding last year. The referendum requirement protects local homeowners from facing massive property tax hikes without the opportunity to be heard, as in taxation with representation.
Abdi wants to remove those protections, taking power away from homeowners living in regional school districts, and give that power exclusively to school administrators and budget committees.
She argued during her testimony that, because budget referendums have low voter turnout, their results do not reflect the will of the public, and she claimed that they delay budget approval unnecessarily.
She even claimed that because of low voter turnout, abolishing the ability of citizens to have a direct say in their school budgets will actually somehow preserve democratic integrity, rather than weaken it. She believes that it is more fiscally responsible to allow the school board to unilaterally agree on a budget than to give the taxpayers who will fund that budget a direct say.
“In the interest fiscal responsibility, democratic integrity, and functional government, I urge the committee to support LD 1579,” said Abdi
If the bill is successful, Mainers could see even greater property tax hikes amid already high taxes, driving homeowners or potential homeowners out of the state.
The meeting proved contentious, with multiple testimonies on both sides.
“This bill should not pass! Citizens need to be involved in the school budget process.
School budgets are the largest part of any municipal budget and have the largest impact
on our community and our wallets. When school budgets rise unnecessarily, our taxes
go up. That is straight forward,” said Margaret Myatt of Kennebunkport
“If education monies are being directed in a way that does not support educating children, the community needs to be a check and balance. Yes, voting for school board members is a check and balance, but it is the the [sic] flow of dollars that really count. I urge you to defeat this bill and let the citizens be heard,” she added
The Maine Policy Institute (MPI) also testified against the bill.
“By eliminating the requirement for voters to validate school budgets at the ballot box, this bill strips Maine citizens of one of their most direct means of overseeing and influencing how their hard-earned tax dollars are spent on public education,” MPI said.
“Proponents argue that referenda are costly or redundant. But the modest costs
associated with conducting a vote are far outweighed by the benefits of fostering civic
engagement and maintaining the legitimacy of local governance. Participation in school
budget votes educates the public, holds school boards accountable, and ensures that
budgets are responsive to the community’s will,” they added.
Unsurprisingly, multiple education-related groups testified in favor of the bill that would allow schools to receive funding more easily.
“The current referendum requirement, meanwhile, allows for an arbitrary decision by community members who may not have the full context of the budget, potentially leading to an outcome driven by misinformation or a lack of understanding of the school’s needs. These referendum votes also rarely demonstrate the true voice of a community, as participation is routinely very low,” said the Maine School Superintendents Association.
“When a budget is rejected, the district must repeat the referendum process, which is time consuming, costly, and often disruptive to school operations. In some cases, this delay can result in uncertainty for staffing, programming, and resource planning–ultimately affecting students,” said the Maine Principal’s Association.
Notably, the Maine School Boards Association (MSBA) broke with the other educational groups and opposed the bill, expressing concerns that the proposal would erode democratic processes.
“We believe that current state statute already allows for flexibility in the budget validation process, and L.D. 1579 would remove an important part of the local democratic process, eroding trust and connection between schools and communities,” said the MSBA.
“If residents of a town or district continue to say that they would like to maintain the referendum process, why would we want to take it away? We believe this should remain a local decision,” they added.
Given that school boards would be the supposed remaining voice of the people should Abdi’s bill pass into law, MSBA’s critique of the measure is telling.
Despite the contentious hearing, the bill, led by progressives, does have a chance to pass through the Democrat-controlled legislature.
Disclosure: The Maine Wire is a project of the Maine Policy Institute
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="38633 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=38633">15 Comments
2,266 voters cast ballots in Lewiston’s budget referendum. Only 2,160 ballots were cast in the race when Rep. Abdi “won” her seat by running… unopposed. If she’s so concerned about voters’ will not being expressed in low-turnout elections, she’s welcome to resign her office as a sign of integrity.
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A thousand times HECK NO! We see and hear what you dems like to do with other people’s money. I am a triple taxpayer in an area where the young people cannot sign their name in cursive or printing, cannot count back change from the cash register and struggle with reading. We have fewer and fewer students enrolled and the budgets are ridiculous and far from transparent. Our school board believes they answer to the superintendent and not to the hands that feed them.
Local action effects national outcomes. Step up wherever you are able to put trusted local conservatives on your school board.
WE ARE RECEIVING ZERO RETURN ON OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL INVESTMENTS.
Mana Abdi Ned’s to go back to where she came from .
Voters will reject this because it will affect their wallets. Too bad voters don’t get that upset when their schools academically fail their students.
Does Mana Abdi realize that her bill would mean that her little Muslim urchins can be taught that homosexuality is wonderful and eating pork is a healthy and nourishing source of protein ?
Little Mohammed will be forced to eat ham sandwiches or starve .
Maine needs Mana Abdi like it needs a cancerous tumor . That is exactly what she is .
No say for you! Shutup n sit down u taxpayer
Someone should explain to this person how democracy works. A vote determines what the will of the majority of the people who voted is. It doesn’t matter what the voter turn out is unless people are being denied access to the ballot box and there’s no evidence of that. Once again the party that claims it’s the defender of democracy proves ot is anything but.
We should vote for or against our school buget by ballot at our town office, local precinct, etc. When voted on at the school the whole school system shows up to vote in their own raise. They outnumber the public every time. God forbid you ask a question. It should be a line item budget. We as taxpayers have a right to know how our money is being spent. We also only need one superintendent per county. Time to revamp the education system in maine.
Seem like one of the things that lead to the revolt in 1776 “No Taxation With Out Representation”. I guess we are just valued as cash cows now with no voice.
Moaner Abdi, didn’t write this bill, she isn’t smart or capable enough to do it. This has some dirty lew city council members, school board members, and a few of her fellow dirty lew legislator’s fingerprints all over it. None of them understand current school budget state statutes because they ignorantly break them all the time. Like their hero, Shenna Bellowhards, whatever it takes to suppress voters so they get what the want.
So essentially, Abdi is advocating for educational bureaucrats to dictate the tax rate in your community. By default she is advocating for eliminating a long-standing check and balance opportunity for the local taxpayer. Let’s take a small look under the curtain in Lewiston’s school system. 51% of the student population is minority, 49% is economically disadvantaged. Lewiston’s graduation rate stands at 77%. Lewiston’s welfare obligations have skyrocketed due to a heavy influx of “New Mainers”. So the bottom line is that local taxpayers (and state wide taxpayers) are footing a huge tax burden to feed, house, and educate “New Mainers”. No one is advocating for any child to be hungry, go without stable housing, or go without an education, but nor should there be a blank check given to anyone when it comes to taxes. Property taxpayers absolutely deserve the right to stand up and object to spending they deem out of line. We have already witnessed the state budget balloon under Governor Mills and Democrat legislative control from under $7 Billion to just under $12 Billion, and what do we have to show for it? More taxes, not better results. Abdi’s bill would do exactly the same thing. Education spending goes up heavily each year, can we say our kids are getting better educations because of it? So when Democrats throw around terms like Oligarchy, check the definition – a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution. Abdi’s bill fits the steps of an Oligarchy in the making. So NO, this is beyond a bad idea.
Is that how they do it in Somalia?
How quaint! Not much to wonder about when the inmates demand to run the asylum.
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