East Hampton and Portland's Education Funding Cut by the State

By Jack Kramer, Correspondent

East Hampton will have to come up with another $76,637 it hadn’t anticipated to help the state balance the 2017 budget.

East Hampton was slated to receive $7.61 million education funding from the state for 2017. It is now being told in a letter it received last week it will receive $76,637 less – or $7.53 million.

Portland will have to come up with another $54,274 it hadn’t anticipated to help the state balance the 2017 budget.

Portland was slated to receive $4.41 million education funding from the state for 2017. It is now being told in a letter it received last week it will receive $54,274 less – or $4.36 million.

In letter to municipal leaders, Office of Policy and Management Secretary Ben Barnes let municipal leaders know it was exercising its ability to cut $20 million in municipal aid and $30 million in funding for local construction projects.

Barnes said the cuts were necessary for the state to balance its books.

This is on top of earlier cuts made to municipal budgets earlier this year.