Maine House Bill LD318

Maine 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/30/25
• Refer: 1/30/25
• Engrossed: 6/10/25
• Enrolled: 6/11/25
• Passed: 6/12/25

Caption

Resolve, Directing the Maine Education Policy Research Institute and the Department of Education to Recommend Changes to the Essential Programs and Services Funding Formula

Summary

LD 318 is a resolve directing the Maine Education Policy Research Institute and the Department of Education to study and recommend changes to Maine’s Essential Programs and Services (EPS) school funding formula. The bill requires the Institute to identify updated cost-model parameters by October 1, 2025, including changes to the special education adjustment, regional cost index, per-pupil instructional support amount, transportation model, and the way student economic disadvantage is reflected in funding. It also asks for additional data collection from school administrative units to better assess high-cost in-district special education programs. The Department of Education must use those proposed parameters to simulate how they would have affected fiscal year 2026 school funding, including statewide education costs, the statewide mill rate expectation, and the local and state shares for each school administrative unit. The Department must provide those simulation results to the Institute, and both entities must report their findings to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs by January 15, 2026. The committee is authorized to introduce follow-up legislation in the next regular session based on the report.

Impact

The bill does not immediately change the EPS formula or school funding law, but it creates a formal study-and-report process that could lead to future statutory changes. It directs the Maine Education Policy Research Institute and the Department of Education to gather data, run funding simulations, and evaluate alternative methods for calculating state aid, local required shares, and cost components within the EPS system. The work must be completed within existing resources, and any resulting policy changes would require later legislation.

Sentiment

Because there were no recorded committee transcripts or votes provided, the available record does not show direct debate or formal support/opposition. The bill’s structure suggests a generally reform-oriented and analytical approach, with an emphasis on revisiting school funding inputs and improving the accuracy of aid calculations. The absence of opposition in the provided materials makes it difficult to identify a clear partisan or stakeholder split from the record alone.

Contention

The likely points of contention are the proposed changes to how school funding is distributed, especially the special education adjustment, regional cost index, transportation model, and the use of student economic disadvantage in determining state subsidy and local required share. These provisions could shift costs among municipalities and school administrative units, potentially increasing aid for higher-poverty districts while changing obligations for others. Stakeholders concerned with local property tax impacts, fairness across regions, and the reliability of cost-of-living and poverty measures would likely be most engaged in the debate.