Wyke: How to handle the state's single largest expenditure

Bangor Daily News, February 17, 2007

(excerpts) The promise of the citizen-initiated legislation requiring an increase in the state’s share of local education was a corresponding relief in the burden borne by the local property tax. Yet, 81 percent of school administrative units exceeded their growth limits for the 2006-07 school year. Every other level of government in Maine — the state, the counties and the municipalities — managed expenses under their respective spending caps. But local education expenditures continued to increase, even as student enrollments continued to decline.

The governor’s Local Schools, Regional Support initiative and new education funding in the two-year budget hold the promise for local property tax relief. The budget includes $178 million of new aid, and streamlined K-12 administration will save local and state government $241 million over three years.

The governor is not asking school administration to do anything the state isn’t already doing for the programs it administers directly. State government adopted its first spending cap in 2003 and has remained under it even while increasing aid to K-12 education. In fact, if local education spending were removed from the budget, remaining state spending actually experienced negative growth last year.

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The current level of spending on the general fund is unsustainable. We must harness efficiencies in all state programs in order to bring that spending in line with resources. Curbing spending in the programs state government directly administers is occurring, but it is not enough. We must address the major cost drivers, including aid to local education.