Voters said yes, now state says no

Tomorrow, school districts across the state will know their fate. Well, at least they'll know to what extent they'll have to curtail spending from their current budget for the remainder of the school year. Gov. John Baldacci's office announced today that the governor and Finance Commissioner Ryan Low will share details Wednesday about an order to state agencies to curtail spending during the current fiscal year. As school districts alter their previously designated spending levels for the 2008-09 school year to adjust for sunken revenues, they're altering the spending levels voters approved last spring. In some cases, voters took pains to approve school budgets last spring. In Monmouth and Sabattus, for example, voters visited the polls multiple times before signing off on their local spending plans. The 2008-09 budget was the first voters had to approve at referendum. That approval process -- which also included a special budget meeting for residents -- was an element of the sweeping school district consolidation law passed in June 2007. Early on, voters warmed slowly to the idea of approving their schools' budgets. Voter turnout was low, for example, in Auburn, Hallowell, Farmingdale, Embden, Solon and other communities where budget approval votes took place before June. Now, as Augusta Board of Education member Jane Dennison told me at a meeting last week, the state is backing off the voter-approved school spending levels. "Within two months of opening school, it's no good," Dennison said. "The budget they voted on is irrelevant." Will voters keep the faith in the budget approval process?