Finding #38 — Gorham School Department Fact Sheet #1 — Per-Pupil Cost Comparison Uses FY26 Data to Defend FY27 Budget

Severity: elevated · Category: revenue · Last updated: May 4, 2026 · Dollar amount: $20,305 / >$10M

Summary

On May 3, 2026, Superintendent Heather Perry shared a Gorham School Department communication titled "Fact Sheet #1 — DID YOU KNOW? FY 27 Proposed School Budget," distributed through the district's Apptegy communications platform. The fact sheet states Gorham has the second-lowest per-pupil cost in Cumberland County and would need to add over $10 million to reach the county average. Both figures are FY26 data being used to argue for the FY27 budget; the fact sheet does not include FY27 per-pupil figures, does not state which Maine Department of Education per-pupil definition is plotted, does not show the median (only the average), and does not reference the academic outcome data documented in Flag #31.

Detail

FACT SHEET CONTENT — AS PUBLISHED

Title: "Fact Sheet #1 — DID YOU KNOW? FY 27 Proposed School Budget" Source: Gorham School Department, distributed via the district's Apptegy communications platform Forwarded by: Superintendent Heather Perry Date received by Gorham Guardian: May 3, 2026 (publication date not stated on the fact sheet itself)

Claims as printed:

Impact

A district communication being distributed to voters before the June 9 referendum uses FY26 per-pupil data to argue for the FY27 budget, presents an "average" comparison without disclosing which Maine Department of Education per-pupil definition or central-tendency measure is used, and does not reference the academic outcome data already documented on this site. The numerical claims may be accurate; the missing context affects how voters interpret them.

Source

Document: Gorham School Department Fact Sheet #1 (May 2026, exact publication date not stated on the document)
Reference: Single-page fact sheet branded "Gorham School Department — DID YOU KNOW? FY 27 Proposed School Budget" · Distributed via Apptegy district communications platform · Forwarded by Superintendent Heather Perry on May 3, 2026
Q&A: Not raised in Budget Workshop Q&A (now 86+ questions) — this fact sheet was published after the Q&A process closed

Verified sources

Maine Department of Education — School Finance & Per-Pupil Expenditure Data — Maine Department of Education publishes annual per-pupil expenditure tables for every school administrative unit in the state, including Cumberland County districts. The fact sheet's per-pupil dollar values, ranking, and county-average claim can be verified against this source. Maine Department of Education publishes…
Maine Department of Education — Essential Programs and Services & Subsidy Data (Cumberland County districts) — Per-pupil cost comparisons across districts are calculated from each district's Essential Programs and Services allocation, state subsidy share, and local appropriation, all of which Maine Department of Education publishes by school administrative unit. Readers comparing Gorham's $20,305 figure to other Cumberland Cou…
Maine Department of Education — Resident Expenditures by Budget Category, FY 2024-25 (Per Pupil Amounts), published January 7, 2026 — Direct PDF source used for the May 4, 2026 verification update above. The full Cumberland County mainland-district per-pupil values quoted in the verification update, the rank-order, and the mainland-mean and gap-to-Gorham calculations are all derived from this single official Maine Department of Education file. Reade…
Maine Department of Education — Resident Expenditures by Budget Category, FY 2023-24 (Per Pupil Amounts) — Used to spot-check the fact sheet's "9 years in a row" streak claim for the prior year. FY 2023-24 published values: Gorham $16,660.90 (2,838 pupils); RSU 15/MSAD 15 $15,779.05 (1,809 pupils); RSU 14 $17,176.51 (3,130 pupils). Gorham was second-lowest in Cumberland County in FY 2023-24, consistent with the fact sheet'…

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