Of the nearly 100 schools on the state's priority list for funding to address aging and deteriorating buildings, only two will receive any in the coming year. Resources are tight and the need for improvements is growing.
Maine statute only allows the state to select school funding projects every seven years. Last time, Loranger Memorial School in Old Orchard Beach was one school away from receiving funding and getting taken off the list. And this year it's in a similar position even though RSU 23 Superintendent John Suttie says it is the worst functioning school in Maine.
"One wing is 90 years old. The other is 60 years old. It's got a bunch of structural problems. The HVAC system is a nightmare. It gets too hot. It gets too cold. It's not, it's not a DA compliant," Suttie said.
Chloe Teboe at the Maine Department of Education said the state only approved two projects because those are all they have guaranteed funding for. But, as more funding becomes available in the seven year cycle, it is possible for the state to get to more schools on the list.
The governor's Commission on School Constriction released an interim report in April, stating that 500 of Maine's 600 schools will need to be renovated or replaced in the next 20 years at an estimated cost of $11 billion.
