For Immediate Release
November 1, 2006

Contact: Mark Ford, MPA Communications Coordinator, (207) 797-0967

TABOR a Serious Threat to Maine Schools

MPA/ECAP Report highlights insufficient federal funding for key education programs, raising serious concerns about TABOR’s potential impact on education in Maine.

PORTLAND—This afternoon, Maine People's Alliance (MPA) and the Emergency Campaign for America’s Priorities (ECAP) released an eye-opening report on the status of Maine students. Are we Investing in our Students? A State of the State Report on Education in Maine details the vital supports for Maine students that have been, and continue to be severely slashed by the federal government, and raises serious concerns about the ability of Maine’s school districts to meet students’ needs if faced by TABOR spending limits at the same time as federal cuts.

If TABOR had been in effect last year, over 30% of all Maine school districts would be facing budget cuts this year due to TABOR’s one-size-fits-all formula. Proposed cuts to federal education funding would place an even more severe burden on strained school districts. As outlined in Are we Investing in our Students,

• The 2007 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill provides $56.2 billion for education - a billion dollars less than what was provided for in Fiscal Year 2005;
• Because of the cuts in No Child Left Behind funding, 155,504 Maine students will receive fewer resources in 2007;
• Because of the cuts in the Labor-HHS-Education bill, 27,213 K-12 students in Maine would lose the benefits from State Education Technology Grants, and 6,218 college students in Maine would lose access to Pell Grants.

Over the past two years, funding for essential programs included in the Labor HHS Education bills has fallen behind by $12 billion dollars. Maine's families are getting crunched from all sides. Between the TABOR plan to tie lawmakers' hands and arbitrarily limit spending on vital supports, and Congress' total lack of interest in investing in our children’s future, students are facing an unprecedented crisis. Maine People's Alliance and the Emergency Campaign for America’s Priorities are leading the campaigns across the state and in Washington to make sure healthcare and education funding remain top priorities.

“This report highlights the failure of the Bush Administration and Congressional Leadership to seriously address the needs of students in Maine and throughout the country,” explained Jesse Graham, associate director of the Maine People's Alliance. “Their misguided priorities are even more serious for Maine, given that we are facing the potentially paralyzing effects of TABOR. When the costs of education are rising at a much faster rate than inflation, how can we expect Maine’s school districts to meet the needs of our students if faced by across-the-board spending limits and cuts in federal funding?”

“Our country’s leaders have the opportunity to switch direction and prove that they are on the side of students and their families by increasing funding for essential programs. Disappointingly, Congressional leaders have indicated that they will hold off on a vote on the Labor-HHS-Education bill until after the November elections. Maine families deserve to know whether our representatives stand with the citizen’s of our state or with the President’s plans to drastically cut these vital programs—and voters deserve to know it before they are asked to cast their vote on November 7.
 
“Today we ask Maine’s Congressional representatives to call for an immediate vote on the Labor HHS Education bill. Adjourning for campaign season before addressing these critical issues is asking constituents to re-elect them before taking a stand on issues essential to Mainers,” Graham said.

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