Governor Janet Mills on Wednesday signed into law a state budget that for the second year in a row makes good on a promise to fund 55 percent of the cost of education.
The state share for 2022-2023 reflects a $42.7 million increase in GPA over 2021-2022, and is a bit over the 55%. The mill expectation will continue to be 7.1.
The budget also has other education initiatives including full funding for school meals; increased pay for childcare workers and early childhood educators; and, up to two years of free Community College for students in the high school graduating classes of 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 who enroll in Maine Community Colleges fulltime.