By Michael Shepherd - June 22, 2022 Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up.
Good morning from Augusta.Â
What we're watching today
The politics of school choice could be elevated in Maine's 2022 election after a Supreme Court ruling against the state. In a decision that was handed down exactly as expected, a conservative majority of the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Maine's ban on public funding for religious schools.
The short-term effects of the decision are expected to be minimal given a recent Maine change that subjected schools that would benefit from funding to anti-discrimination laws that many do not want to follow, but the ruling could have long-term implications for the role of religion in American life.
The way Maine responds to the ruling will be shaped by the November election in which Democratic Gov. Janet Mills is running for reelection against former Gov. Paul LePage. The state is reviewing the decision, a Mills spokesperson said. But LePage, a Republican, applauded the ruling against the Mills administration and Attorney General Aaron Frey, using it to make a broader point that the state should "let the parents decide their child’s future."
"As I’ve said before, money should follow the student and we need to let parents decide," he said.
To be clear, this ruling affects a relatively small number of Maine students in towns that do not have public high schools. There were 4,000 or so in late 2020, according to court filings. What LePage is suggesting seems to be a much bigger, open-season voucher program that would allow families to take a share of public education funding and use it as they see fit.
It harkens back to the early years of LePage's tenure, when he was heavily focused on education reforms. By many measures, it was a different era in conservative politics. (Remember when LePage implemented Common Core standards in 2011 before quickly disavowing them?) But he won some early victories on the subject, signing charter schools into law during the first year of his tenure. It was mostly downhill from there for LePage on the topic.
The former governor put a small voucher program for low-income students in his 2013 budget proposal, but it came under a Democratic-led Legislature. The majority party then was opposed to the idea, fearing that it would balloon into a bigger program that would siphon money out of public schools. Some Republicans were also skeptical. It went nowhere in the budget process.
Mills and the current Democratic-led Legislature have used aid-fueled surpluses to meet an obligation to fund 55 percent of basic school aid costs for the first time in Maine history. The policy fundamentals have not changed much in the last decade around the school choice issue, but LePage's plans have gotten far more ambitious. He is going to have to be more specific and Mills will be challenged to lay out a post-decision roadmap as well.
🗞 The Daily Brief is made possible by Bangor Daily News subscribers. Support the work of our politics team and enjoy unlimited access to everything the BDN has to offer by subscribing here.
What we're reading
— U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and her husband, Tom Daffron, are selling their home on West Broadway in Bangor with plans to buy a smaller home on more land in the city. The 4,200-square-foot home is on the market for $727,000.
— Attorney General Aaron Freytold Maine Public the state is close to releasing a "roadmap" for lawsuits against PFAS manufacturers. His office is hiring outside counsel for help in bringing those suits in state courts.
— We have a guide to where Maine kids under 5 can get COVID-19 vaccines.
— A toy business in remote Drew Plantation was destroyed earlier this month by a second catastrophic fire since 2004 that also claimed the owners' home and their dog. Elves and Angels plans to rebuild closer to Houlton.
📱Want daily texts from me tipping you to political stories before they break? Get Pocket Politics. It is free for 14 days and $3.99 per month if you like it.
News and notes
— Collins was one of 14 Republicans to vote to advance the bipartisan gun, mental health and school safety bill in the Senate on Tuesday. Her inclusion was not surprising since she helped negotiate the package, but the margin was significant since 10 Republicans are needed to pass it.
— After a frosty 2020 campaign for Senate control that focused on Collins' seat, hell froze over in the chamber around the gun vote. "The vibe in the Senate is so positive right now that [Senate Majority Leader Chuck] Schumer gave Susan Collins a fist bump!" tweetedIgor Bobic of the Huffington Post.Â
— The Maine Ethics Commission was in at 9 a.m. and fined former Gov. Paul LePage's 2022 campaign $3,000 for a late disclosure. It could also end an investigation into the American Legislative Exchange Council after finding no evidence that two Republican lawmakers used software provided by the group for campaign purposes.
— Mills gave no indication that she was considering the revival of an anti-price gouging executive order after the idea was suggested by the liberal Maine Center for Economic Policy this week. At a Bangor event, the governor told the BDN's Sawyer Loftus that she has not seen the group's report.
Keyanna Williams, 2, tries out a harmonica in Portland on Tuesday during the annual Make Music Portland event, featuring free concerts and music workshops across the city. (BDN photo by Troy R. Bennett)
📷  Lead photo: In a August 28, 2018 photo, Bangor Christian Schools sophomore Olivia Carson, 15, of Glenburn was dropped off on the first day of school by her mother, Amy Carson. Maine can’t cut religious schools out of programs that send public money to private schools, the Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday in a case brought by the Carsons. (BDN photo by Gabor Degre)
