Last November, Maine voters approved Question 2 on the ballot as a means to allocate more funding to our public schools. As someone who spent his entire professional career in the classroom, I fully support increased education funding, and I believe it is a travesty that the State of Maine has never met its obligation to pay 55 percent of education costs as Maine voters demanded in a previous state referendum in the ‘90s.

We are all too familiar with the stories from our public schools, particularly rural ones: music and sports programs being cut because of budget shortfalls, teachers having to dig into their own pockets to buy classroom supplies, etc.

My fellow lawmakers and I need to make increased education funding a top priority this legislative session, and it shouldn’t have taken a citizens’ referendum to do it.

But Question 2, as written, is deeply flawed, and I am very concerned about the economic impact it will have on Maine. The problem lies with the funding mechanism for the increased school spending. It calls for a three percent surtax on family households earning more than $200,000 annually. While this might sound like a lot of money, for some it’s not. Many of those who will be affected are pass-through corporations such as small family-run businesses who operate on small profit margins and employ our fellow Mainers. Three-fifths of the state’s private workforce is employed by small businesses, and in many cases, these are companies that literally struggle to keep the lights on.

Earlier this month, I attended the 2017 Policy Leaders Academy Summit which included some of Maine’s largest employers. This was not a political-oriented gathering; it included businesses from various backgrounds and parts of the state. To a person, they all had profound concerns about the implications of this onerous, new tax. The leaders of Sappi and Jackson Laboratories, for example, have indicated that professionals that they have tried to bring to Maine have declined to come here, specifically because of the added tax burden.

Last week, the Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee began public hearings on the two-year budget that takes effect on July 1 of this year. A member of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce testified that her organization is hearing from businesses and financial professionals who are making calculations on whether it would be more beneficial for them to leave Maine, and some have already left, specifically because of the new tax policy.

Our education funding will be in much worse shape than it is now if this trend continues. Businesses, large and small, contribute significantly to our tax base, and if they leave in droves, that tax base, which funds our schools, will shrink. 

We also risk losing the significant charitable contributions Maine businesses make to their local communities. In Sanford, a community I represent, for example, the high school music boosters organization is supported by local business. Maine’s largest employers contribute significantly to local charities that care for our poor and disabled populations.

I believe that we in the Legislature have an enormous task ahead of us before we adjourn in June. We must find a way to honor the spirit of what the people of Maine voted for last November and increase funding for our public schools. But we must do it in a manner that will not hurt our economy. I believe we can do this, but it will require all legislators to put aside partisan politics and find the best solution for the people of Maine.

— State Sen. David Woodsome, R -Waterboro, represents Senate District 33, which includesCornish, Limerick, Newfield, Parsonsfield, Sanford, Shapleigh and Waterboro.