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Maine’s only public magnet school is ‘at the end of its rope’ with its finances
LIMESTONE, Maine — A bill proposing regular budget increases for Maine’s only public high school likely won’t pass this year, forcing the school to explore new ways to generate revenue.
In February, Sen. Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, proposed amendment to LD 2118, the bill that appropriates funds for the Maine School of Science and Mathematics, to allocate an additional $750,000 in funding for administrative operations and another $250,000 to increase financial aid to students. This would be in addition to the school’s $3.6 million from the state’s supplemental budget, an amount that has been funded on a fixed basis since 2017.
MSSM administrators have argued that the school needs more funding to avoid staff cuts and continue to offer high-level academic programs to its students.
“We are at the limit of what we can spend responsibly without making cuts,” said Rob Constantine, executive director of the school.
Earlier this month, the Senate approved an amended version of LD 2118 that would have given MSSM $475,000 in additional funding for the 2024-25 fiscal year, and then continued funding of $650,000 every year to supplement the 3.6 million dollars from the state.
The Senate sent the bill to the House for a vote shortly before the House adjourned last week. The House did not act on the bill, leaving it still “alive,” but it likely will not pass this year, said Christine Kirby, a spokeswoman for Jackson.
The Chamber will only be able to vote on the project if it convenes an extraordinary session before the 132nd Legislature takes office in December. But that would require Gov. Janet Mills to call a special session or for Democrats and Republicans in each chamber to agree to hold one, Kirby said.
“[Jackson] I would like to see an increase in funding for MSSM included in the state budget,” Kirby said. “He believes a magnet school with an emphasis on STEM is a valuable asset to our state [that] it benefits students, our workforce and economy.”
Unlike local district schools, MSSM does not receive its funds from the Maine Department of Education’s grant formula, which takes local tax assessment into account. All funds come from the state’s General Purpose Aid budget, which allocates money to schools and specialized programs.
The new version of LD 2118 stalled a year after Jackson proposed a bill that would have increased the state MSSM allocation by $2 million. Instead, Mills signed the bill, LD 1458, with just a single allocation of $500,000 for the school’s 2024-25 fiscal year.
This means MSSM must look for alternative ways to increase its revenue and funding streams, including through increasing enrollment, Constantine said.
In March, the MSSM board of directors approved a $5.7 million budget for 2024-25 that took into account the state’s usual $3.6 million contribution and $500,000 allocation, but prepared the school in case LD 2118 is not approved as amended.
On Friday, trustees approved using $100,000 of the $500,000 to pay the salary and benefits of a new director of enrollment management. They approved the hiring of Santiago Durango, who will start on July 1st.
Durango will come from Fountain Valley School, a college preparatory school in Colorado, where he is currently associate director of admissions. He has six years of experience in high school and college admissions, Constantine said.
MSSM’s revenue from international and out-of-state students, who pay a total of $34,300 in tuition, room and board, began to decline during the pandemic. Maine students pay only room and board costs, which are increasing from $10,300 to $10,600 this fall.
Total enrollment began to decline in 2020, from around 120 to 130, to just over 100. There are currently 103 students, with a similar projection for 2024-25.
Constantine and his colleagues hope Durango’s position will help them attract more students, especially those from out of state and other countries, as the school aims to begin issuing visas to international students in 2025.
If Durango’s efforts are successful, the trustees will integrate its position into the MSSM’s overall budget, Constantine said.
“We want to invest in our admissions efforts to make sure we grow our enrollment in Maine, but we also look outside of Maine,” Constantine said.
Trustees also approved a first-of-its-kind proposal to make MSSM’s state appropriation part of the Maine Department of Education’s biennial budget.
The proposalwhich still needs DOE approval, keeps the DOE appropriation at $3,615,347 in the next fiscal year, but suggests increasing it to $3,863,807 in 2025-26 and to $3,979,722 in 2026-27 .
Dave King, chairman of the trustees’ finance and facilities committee, said being part of the DOE budget would be a historic and ideal way for MSSM to generate ongoing funding.
“We tried other methods. We went to the Legislature, but all we got were one-time allocations. That’s great, but it doesn’t do much for our future,” King said.