Westbrook, MAINE – Republican gubernatorial candidate Shawn Moody really doesn’t like Maine schools receiving adequate funding. Moody – who earlier this year was the only candidate to say that Maine school are “overfunded” – tried to defend his comment on Maine Public Radio last week, but only ended up digging the hole even deeper, complaining instead about how schools are receiving additional voter-approved funding.
Yes, really.
When Moody was asked about his stated position that Maine schools are “overfunded”, he responded: “Jennifer, they just got $162 million in additional funding.”
Maine Democratic Party Chairman Phil Bartlett issued the following statement in response:
“Shawn Moody is doubling-down on his position that Maine schools are overfunded — a view that simply does not match the reality facing teachers and students every day in Maine. By continuing to say Maine schools are overfunded, Shawn Moody continues to show how out of touch he is with the teachers across our state who are paying for schools supplies out of their own pockets and receiving the lowest paychecks in New England.”
Moody has previously stated that Maine schools are “overfunded” despite Maine’s teachers spending at least $4.2 million out of their own pockets on basic school supplies in 2016. Additionally, Maine has the lowest per-student funding in New England and the lowest teacher pay in New England as well.
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