Mainers will not be seeing the full price tags on their ballots when they go to the polls to vote on proposed education budgets, as lawmakers have defeated a bill that would have required school districts to disclose the total budgeted amount directly on the ballot.
Sponsored by Rep. Barbara A. Bagshaw (R-Windham), LD 1586 would have amended the template that school districts are required to follow when preparing the question wording for school budget validation referendum questions.
Every regional school unit throughout Maine must use the same phrasing when sending their proposed budgets out to residents for final approval.
Currently, the template reads: “Do you favor approving the (name of regional school unit) budget for the upcoming school year that was adopted at the latest (name of regional school unit) budget meeting?“
Under LD 1586, this would have been updated to say: “Do you favor approving the (name of regional school unit) budget for the upcoming school year in the amount of (insert the $ amount) that was adopted at the latest (name of regional school unit) budget meeting?“
[RELATED: South Portland Voters Approve $73 Million School Budget with More Than 6% Tax Hike]
In testimony introducing this measure, Rep. Marygrace Cimino (R-Bridgton) characterized it as “a simple transparency bill.”
“Right now, many voters receive a ballot that asks them to approve the school budget without stating the total amount being proposed,” said Rep. Cimino. “That lack of information undermines the democratic process.”
“When we ask citizens to weigh in on how public funds are spent, we owe them the courtesy—and the responsibility—of giving them the full picture,” she said. “That includes the bottom-line number.”
“That level of clarity is something we already expect in nearly every other area of public spending. We disclose bond amounts in referendums,” Cimino added. “We include mill rates in tax assessments. Why should school budgets be any different?”
Opponents of the proposal argued that including the total budget amount could create confusion for voters, suggesting that doing so would take the number of out its appropriate context.
“Including a large dollar figure in isolation — without context regarding fixed costs, state funding levels, or local obligations — can create a ‘shock factor’ for voters, leading to decisions based more on optics than on the educational needs of the community,” said a representative of the Maine Principles Assocation (MPA).
They went on to note that information regarding proposed budgets are already made available publicly through meetings, hearings, and online postings, giving “ample opportunity” for residents to consider them.
“We worry including this figure in the budget validation question could be misleading or confusing to voters,” argued the Maine Education Association (MEA). “Many will struggle with understanding the difference between a school budget of $25 million and $250 million. These figures lack context — many of us cannot picture what $25 million looks like, let alone what that figure represents for schools and their budgets.”
The Maine Municipal Association (MMA), on the other hand, testified in support of the bill, suggesting that it would help “foster trust between local government, school administrators, and the taxpayer base,” while also showing a “commit[ment] to being open and forthright with the public about the costs involved.”
“The public has a right to understand the full financial implications of their votes, and this simple, yet impactful, change will provide voters with the clarity they need to make informed decisions about the school budgets that directly affect their lives and communities,” a representative of the MMA said.
Members of the Legislature’s Education and Cultural Affairs Committee were divided along partisan lines over this bill. While all Republican members supported the bill’s passage, all Democratic members opposed it.
Shortly thereafter, House and Senate lawmakers followed suit and adopted the Democrat majority’s Ought Not to Pass report along partisan lines.
