BRUNSWICK — School districts across Maine learned Thursday the latest estimates from the Department of Education of how much state money might come their way for the next school year.

The new figures meet a statutory requirement that the department provide estimates about its next- year funding for schools in early February. But the numbers are subject to change resulting from whatever actions are taken by the 125th Legislature between now and the end of the session. That means the figures released Thursday are preliminary.

According to data from the department, some districts will see major increases, such as more than $2.9 million for the Farmington-area RSU 9, which will receive the largest dollar increase in the state.

For others, such as the Brunswick School Department, which is projected to receive about $1.2 million less than this year, the biggest reduction statewide, the news was not good.

“I was shocked,” said Brunswick Superintendent Paul Perzanoski on Thursday. “This is really catastrophic.”

Among the other losers, according to Thursday’s data, are Bangor, Brewer, Eastport, Madawaska and Rockland.

Perzanoski said his district was told by the department last fall that it could expect a $243,000 increase in funding for the next school year, which makes the net decrease he learned about on Thursday more in the range of $1.5 million out of a budget of about $ 33 million. The cut expected next year comes on the heels of $4.2 million in cuts to state aid for Brunswick schools during the past two years, which translated to the loss of about 90 staff positions districtwide and the closure of two elementary schools.

Despite the opening of a new elementary school last year, Perzanoski said most of the district’s buildings are at or past capacity.

“We’re bursting at the seams,” he said.

Perzanoski and Deputy Education Commissioner Jim Rier agreed that the major factor in Brunswick’s decreased state subsidy is the closure of Brunswick Naval Air Station, which has contributed to a loss of about 800 students since 2008 for a total of about 2,500.

Still, Perzanoski said the cut predicted Thursday will result in reduced programming and likely increased class sizes.

“There doesn’t seem to be any reason for cuts like this to a district of this size,” said Perzanoski. “Based on what’s happened to the community, I would think there would have to be some sort of stopgaps available.”

School Administrative District 75, based in Topsham, can expect a decrease of $317,00, according to preliminary figures released Thursday.

Regional School Unit 1, based in Bath, is in line to receive $1.4 million more in 2012-13 than this year.

Regional School Unit 2, of which Richmond and Dresden are members, is projected to experience a $ 51,000 decrease.

Regional School Unit 5, a consortium including Freeport, Durham and Pownal, stands to receive $317,000 more in 2012-13.

Regional School Unit 12, which includes Wiscasset, Alna and Westport Island, would lose $132,000 under current projections.

The Boothbay- Boothbay Harbor community school district with which Georgetown is affiliated would gain $ 56,000, if projections released Thursday hold.

Elsewhere

Rier said a variety of factors caused swings in the amount of money that will go to each town, including changes in student enrollment and special education costs. In the case of Farmington’s big increase, Rier said much of that is because of construction of a new high school, part of which will be paid for by the state in the next school year.

Overall, the total amount of state money for schools in 2012-13 will be about $915 million, which is an increase of around $19 million over this year.

But that is subject to major changes under consideration by the Legislature, including budget discussions about how to plug a $220 million shortfall in the Department of Health and Human Services. Rier said exact figures for state subsidies won’t be known until the Legislature adjourns.

Rier said he heard from a handful of school districts Thursday, most of them wondering why their amounts changed from projections released late last year.

“Last fall, we didn’t have any way of calculating the ( student population) numbers,” said Rier. “Today’s numbers reflect all of the conditions for each district.”

For the full story, see the Bangor Daily News at bangordailynews.com

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