Work by Matthew Stone

May 12, 2008

Maine voters have their first chance this spring to go to the polls and weigh in on their local school budgets.

But few so far appear to be taking advantage of the opportunity to vote in referendums on school board-approved spending plans. Others doubt that the time, effort and money needed to hold the referendums are worthwhile.

The school-budget referendums are part of a new school budget-approval process signed into law last year as part of Maine's sweeping school-district consolidation bill.

Following budget approval by school board members, the law requires that each school district hold budget meetings where residents accept, reject or change the board's plan.

The law then requires a separate, town-wide referendum vote.

If voters reject the budget at any stage, planning starts again — from the beginning.

A vote on Tuesday in Anson, Embden, New Portland and Solon — the towns of School Administrative District 74 — drew approximately 11 percent of voters. A majority of those who appeared at the polls accepted their school board's recommended budget.

In Auburn, fewer than 6 percent of voters showed up at the polls Tuesday to approve that school system's 2008-09 budget.

When Farmingdale and Hallowell voters on May 2 accepted their school board's proposed budget at the polls, just 4 percent of the school district's voters turned out.

"It was a very slow, very long day," Hallowell Deputy City Clerk Diane Polky said.

Superintendent Donald Siviski estimated the referendum cost the school system $3,000 to $4,000, as districts must reimburse towns for polling costs.

"It's not saving money in the fiscal crisis of years," Siviski said, citing legislators' decision this year to cut $34 million in state aid to local schools.

Hall-Dale schools' budget scaled back spending by 2.2 percent from the previous year, due in part to a shrunken state subsidy.

Polling costs will not be as high for districts holding their referendums on June 10, the same day as state primary elections, when polling places are already open.

Department of Education spokesman David Connerty-Marin said that, because the referendum process is new to voters, it may be unrealistic to expect high voter turnout in the first year.

"It'll take time to catch on for the new system," he said.

But the budget referendums' cost is worth it, Connerty-Marin said, because school districts are being forced to make their budgets more transparent to voters.

"All elections cost money," Connerty-Marin said. "There's a price for democracy."

After three years, he noted, voters have the chance to decide whether to continue holding school budget referendums.

Pittston resident David Stetson, who will have the chance to vote on the School Administrative District 11 budget June 10, questioned the referendum's value.

"Unless a referendum is well-founded, it's a very large waste of taxpayers' money," said Stetson, whose daughter attends Pittston Consolidated School.

Hallowell resident Brian Nichols said last week the referendum process seemed like a good idea.

Rep. Kim Silsby, D-Augusta, expected the new budget approval process would prove "challenging" for Maine's larger cities.

"I think we have a representative government to ensure that we have an efficient and an educational process in adopting a budget," said Silsby, who also sits on the Augusta Board of Education. "I think that should be honored."

In the last legislative session, Silsby pushed to have cities with municipal charters — such as Augusta — exempted from the budget referendum requirement. The exemption was not adopted into the final law.

"I think that we ask city charter committees to form how best it makes sense for their municipality to move forward in adopting a budget," Silsby said. "It would make sense to go through the process the city charter has identified."

Augusta voters will weigh in on their budget on June 10.

Since polls will already be open for primary elections, City Clerk Barbara Wardwell said, the only additional cost to the Augusta school system will be $1,000 in ballot printing costs.

Matthew Stone — 623-3811, ext. 435
mstone@centralmaine.com