AUGUSTA -- Voters decided against repealing Maine's school-district consolidation law at the polls last week. But as legislators consider ways to trim education spending, part of the consolidation law might meet its demise nevertheless.

Legislators are considering the elimination of the school-budget validation process as an option for cutting some spending from increasingly tight education budgets.

The Legislature's Education Committee in the coming months is charged with recommending $38.1 million in reductions to the state's K-12 education budget. The 13-member panel also needs to suggest millions of dollars in additional cuts to help the Appropriations Committee plug a $30 million hole in the state's current $5.8 billion, two-year budget.

Three lawmakers on the Education Committee have recently suggested eliminating the two-step school-budget approval process, according to committee e-mails the Kennebec Journal recently obtained under the Maine Freedom of Access Act. A number of school superintendents also suggested the move at a budget strategy session held in Augusta in late August.

"I've heard over and over from superintendents and school board members that it's a redundant process that costs time and money. And, quite frankly, people don't show up," said Sen. Justin Alfond, D-Portland, the Education Committee's Senate chairman.

The 2007 school-district consolidation law put in place a two-step budget approval process requiring school districts to let voters sign off on budgets at town-meeting style gatherings and later by referendum. Districts must repeat the process until voters OK a budget.

"Our sense was school districts need to take a lot closer look at their own budgeting practices," said Sen. Peter Mills, R-Cornville, a supporter of the referendum system. "We wanted an end run around the superintendents to get the truth out to the voter and to the parents. It's an integrated system of disclosure and educating voters."

A few Maine school districts have used the referendum since 2000, said Jim Rier, the Maine Department of Education's finance and operations director. For others, the two-step process replaced budget approval at town meetings and by city councils.

"Part of why you do it this way is so you have that meeting environment for discussion in depth, and then the public has the last opportunity to validate," he said.

But some school districts have had trouble getting budgets approved under the new process. And voter turnout has been low for many budget votes.

The eight-town Sheepscot Valley Regional School Unit, for example, has been unable to pass a budget this school year, despite three attempts since June. Neither referendum has drawn more than 14 percent turnout in the unit towns: Alna, Chelsea, Palermo, Somerville, Westport Island, Whitefield, Windsor and Wiscasset.

"I like the fact that more people can participate in the ballot vote," said Hilary Holm, a Sheepscot school board member from Whitefield. "But at the same time, they're not involved in the process."

While few residents have turned out at the polls, Holm said, even fewer have attended town-meeting style budget sessions held before the referendums.

"They haven't had discourse at a budget meeting," Holm said. "Their opinions are 'yes' or 'no,' but it's very hard to know why without a discourse."

Plus, the three go-rounds at passing a budget have cost the Sheepscot Valley Regional School Unit $60,000, according to Holm.

"It is getting costly and frustrating and taking up a lot of everyone's time, when we could be better looking forward to next year," Holm said.

While officials are uncertain of the complete savings potential of scaling back school-budget approvals, supporters of the process acknowledge it's an easy target when lawmakers are looking to cut back.

"I know that these elections are expensive. Don't get me wrong," Mills said.

Despite the expense, it might be too early to scrap the two-year-old policy, said Rep. Patricia Sutherland, D-Chapman.

"I think the intent was to encourage members of the public to take a look at what goes into a school budget and get more involved, because it's a major component of their local property tax," said Sutherland, the Education Committee's House chairman.

Voters in most school districts will decide for themselves this spring whether they want to continue holding local school-budget referendums. They'll continue to decide every three years by law.

But for Alfond, the two-step budget validation isn't working.

"It was a good public policy try, and it doesn't seem to be fulfilling its goals," he said. "It's OK to take away programs that aren't working."

Matthew Stone -- 623-3811, ext. 435

mstone@centralmaine.com