Maine’s only public magnet school is ‘at the limit’ of its finances

LIMESTONE, Maine — A Legislative bill proposing regular budget increases for Maine’s only public magnet high school is unlikely to pass this year, forcing the school to explore new ways to generate revenue.

In February, Sen. Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, proposed amending LD 2118 , the bill that appropriates funds for Maine School of Science and Mathematics, to allocate $750,000 more in funding for administrative operations and another $250,000 to increase student financial aid. This would have been in addition to the school’s $3.6 million from the state’s supplemental budget, an amount that has been flat funded since 2017.

MSSM administrators argued that the school needs more funds to avoid staff cuts and continue providing high-level academic programs for its students.

“We’re at the limit of what we can responsibly spend without making cuts,” said Rob Constantine, the school’s executive director.

Earlier this month, the Senate passed an amended version of LD 2118 that would have given MSSM $475,000 in additional funds for the 2024-25 fiscal year, and then ongoing funding of $650,000 every year to supplement the state’s $3.6 million.

The Senate sent the bill to the House for a vote just before the House adjourned last week. The House failed to act on the bill, leaving it still “alive” but not likely to pass this year, said Christine Kirby, a spokesperson for Jackson.

The House can only vote on the bill if it convenes a special session before the 132nd Legislature is sworn in this December. But that would require Gov. Janet Mills to call for a special session or for Democrats and Republicans in each chamber to agree on holding one, Kirby said.

“[Jackson] would like to see an increase in funding for MSSM included in the state’s budget,” Kirby said. “He believes that a magnet school with STEM emphasis is a valuable asset to our state [that] benefits students and our workforce and economy.”

Unlike schools within local districts, MSSM does not receive its funds from the Maine Department of Education’s subsidy formula, which factors in local tax valuation. All funds come from the state’s General Purpose Aid budget, which allocates money toward specialty schools and programs.

The new version of LD 2118 stalled one year after Jackson proposed a bill that would have increased MSSM’s state allocation by $2 million . Instead, Mills signed that bill, LD 1458, with only a one-time allocation of $500,000 for the school’s 2024-25 fiscal year.

That means MSSM must look at alternative ways to increase both its revenue and funding streams, including through increased enrollment, Constantine said.

In March, MSSM’s board of trustees passed a $5.7 million budget for 2024-25 that took into account the state’s usual $3.6 million contribution and the $500,000 allocation, but prepared the school in case LD 2118 did not pass as amended.

On Friday, the trustees approved using $100,000 of the $500,000 to pay for the salary and benefits of a new director of enrollment management. They approved the hiring of Santiago Durango, who will start July 1.

Durango will be coming from Fountain Valley School, a college prep school in Colorado, where he is currently associate admissions director. He has six years of experience in high school and college admissions, Constantine said.

MSSM’s revenue from out-of-state and international students, who pay the full $34,300 for tuition and room and board, began declining during the pandemic. Maine students only pay room and board costs, which are increasing from $10,300 to $10,600 this fall.

Overall enrollment began declining in 2020 from around 120 to 130 to just above 100. Currently there are 103 students, with a similar projection for 2024-25.

Constantine and colleagues are hoping that 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 for international students in 2025.

If Durango’s efforts prove successful, the trustees will integrate his position into MSSM’s general budget, Constantine said.

“We want to invest in our admissions efforts to make sure we increase our Maine enrollment but also look outside of Maine,” Constantine said.

The trustees also approved a first-ever proposal to make MSSM’s state appropriation part of the Maine Department of Education’s biennial budget.

The proposal , which still needs DOE approval, keeps the DOE’s appropriation at $3,615,347 this coming fiscal year but suggests increasing it to $3,863,807 in 2025-26 and to $3,979,722 in 2026-27.

Dave King, chair of the trustees’ finance and facilities committee, said that being part of the DOE’s budget would be a historic and ideal way for MSSM to generate ongoing funding.

“We’ve tried other methods. We’ve gone to the Legislature, but all it’s gotten us is one-time allocations. Those are great, but they don’t do a lot for our future,” King said.