ROCKPORT — Betsy Saltonstall, a former Five Town CSD and MSAD 28 school board member who currently serves on Rockport's Budget Committee, is running for the Maine Legislature in order to support excellence in public schools and address the concerns of local property taxpayers.

Maine House District 94 represents Camden, Islesboro and Rockport.

"Camden, Rockport and Islesboro need and deserve a strong presence in Augusta," said Saltonstall, in a news release. She will be running for the House in District 94. "As someone who grew up here and chose to return to raise my sons, I feel I am a qualified candidate to represent our community in Augusta."

Saltonstall said she would like to see an increase in the state's share of education funding, which would aid in reducing local property tax burdens.

"Citizens passed a referendum in 2004 requiring the state to fund 55 percent of education costs and, after more than a decade, the state is still not fulfilling this very clear directive from the citizens of Maine," said Saltonstall. "At the moment, education funding for our schools is lopsided, with local property taxes contributing more than the state's share."

Saltonstall said, "We all benefit from a well-educated society and I am concerned that the increased cost of maintaining and operating our schools is becoming a heavy financial burden on our communities,"

Through her experience as Rockport's representative on the Five Town CSD and MSAD 28 school boards from 2009 to 2011, and as a member of the Maine School Boards Association board of directors, Saltonstall gained great insight and working knowledge about Maine's school funding and budgeting process.

During her tenure, the Five Town CSD and MSAD 28 school boards voted against regional consolidation after extensive analysis revealed that the expenses to consolidate exceeded any financial benefits and imposed penalties. While serving on the Maine School Boards Association board of directors, Saltonstall successfully worked to repeal school district consolidation penalties, which saved schools millions of dollars throughout the state.

Saltonstall currently serves on Rockport's Budget Committee. She was a trustee at Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass., between 2002-2008 and has earned a master's in education from Boston University. In 2015, she founded All Together Wellness, after earning her health coaching certification from Duke University Integrative Medicine. Betsy can be reached for more information by email: betsy.saltonstall@gmail.com, or at 207-596-4823.