Opinion ID: 1967879
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: L.D. 1 and the Exemption of the Town from the New School Funding Formula

Text: [¶ 13] The Town and Kuiken contend that L.D. 1 violates the equal protection clauses of the Maine and United States Constitutions. A facial challenge to the constitutionality of a statute is a question of law subject to de novo review, and the party challenging the statute bears the burden of showing constitutional infirmity by strong and convincing reasons. See State v. Falcone, 2006 ME 90, ¶ 5, 902 A.2d 141, 142; Passamaquoddy Water Dist. v. City of Eastport, 1998 ME 94, ¶ 10, 710 A.2d 897, 900. [¶ 14] The equal protection clause of the Maine Constitution provides that [n]o person shall . . . be denied the equal protection of the laws. . . . ME. CONST. art. I, § 6-A. The United States Constitution provides similarly, and the two clauses provide co-extensive protection. See U.S. CONST. amend. XIV, § 1; Sch. Admin. Dist. No. 1 v. Comm'r, Dep't of Educ., 659 A.2d 854, 857 (Me.1995). We apply a two-step test to determine whether a statute violates the equal protection clause. First, the party challenging the statute must show that similarly situated persons are not treated equally under the law. See Mahaney v. State, 610 A.2d 738, 743 (Me.1992). Where this step is met, the Court must then determine what level of scrutiny, to apply. See Sch. Admin. Dist. No. 1, 659 A.2d at 857. Where, as here, the challenged legislation does not involve a fundamental right or a suspect class, the test under this step is whether the statute is rationally related to a legitimate state interest. Id. [¶ 15] Our equal protection analysis in this case must also account for the fact that, in our constitutional scheme, the Legislature is granted broad authority to legislate in the area of public education: A general diffusion of the advantages of education being essential to the preservation of the rights and liberties of the people; to promote this important object, the Legislature are authorized, and it shall be their duty to require, the several towns to make suitable provision, at their own expense, for the support and maintenance of public schools . . . . ME. CONST. art. VIII, pt. 1, § 1. Pursuant to this constitutional authority, the Legislature is required to enact the laws that are necessary to assure that all school administrative units make suitable provisions for the support and maintenance of the public schools. 20-A M.R.S. § 2(1) (2007); see also Shaw v. Small, 124 Me. 36, 40, 125 A. 496, 498 (1924) ([S]tatutes relating to public schools should receive a liberal construction in aid of their dominant purpose which is universal elementary education.). With this framework established; we turn to examine the Town's equal protection challenge to L.D. 1. [¶ 16] The Town and Kuiken argue that L.D. 1 violates equal protection because there are other towns in the State that, like Frye Island, have relatively high property values and few students but, unlike Frye Island, are not exempt from the general cost-sharing formula of 20-A M.R.S. § 15688. The record in this case, however, does not support this contention. The agreed statement of facts submitted by the parties contains evidence of only one other town, Newry, that is arguably similarly situated to Frye Island. Newry is located in M.S.A.D. 44, and thus, pursuant to L.D. 1, is also excluded from the general cost-sharing formula of section 15688. See P.L.2005, ch. 2, § D-69. There is no other information provided in the agreed statement of facts from which one can conclude that the Town of Frye Island is or is not similarly situated to other municipalities in Maine. Accordingly, the Town and Kuiken have not met their burden of showing that there, are similarly situated towns that are treated, differently under the law and their equal protection challenge to L.D. 1 must fail. [¶ 17] Even if the Town and Kuiken could show that other similarly situated towns were treated unequally under the law, L.D. 1 passes rational basis scrutiny. The State contends that not exempting M.S.A.D. 6, and therefore the Town, from the general cost-sharing formula of section 15688 would cause a severe shortfall in the budget of that district. Because addressing this concern clearly falls within the Legislature's authority and duty under the Maine Constitution to provide for public education, we have no difficulty concluding that L.D. 1 is also rationally related to a legitimate state interest. [4] The entry is: Judgment affirmed.