AUGUSTA, ME — Republican gubernatorial nominee Bobby Charles today called on Maine families to treat a new national ranking as a wake-up call: after years of one-party control in Augusta, Maine now ranks last in the country for educational freedom.

The Heritage Foundation’s 2026 Education Freedom Report Card, released September 21, ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Maine finished #51 overall — worse than Vermont and D.C. Florida ranked first. The score combines education choice, academic transparency, teacher freedom, return on investment, and civics education.

Charles, whose mother was a public school teacher in Wayne, said the ranking confirms what Maine parents already know: the state spends heavily, hides too much from families, and still fails to deliver results.

“BREAKING was the right word,” said Bobby Charles. “Maine is #51 for educational freedom. Worse than Vermont and D.C. Incredible. Janet Mills and Hannah Pingree are failing our kids and families. We cannot be okay with this. We must change Augusta. I come from a family of educators. I support teachers, period. What I do not support is a system that spends more than $20,000 per student, ranks near the bottom for results, and then tells parents they have no right to know what is being taught. That is not education. That is an Augusta protection racket. As Governor I will restore parental rights, open the books, put reading and math first, and give Maine families real choices — including homeschoolers and private and religious schools the Supreme Court already said must be treated fairly.”

WHAT THE REPORT FOUND

Maine’s category ranks in the Heritage Education Freedom Report Card:

Heritage notes Maine spends the eighth-most per pupil among states when adjusted for cost of living, yet ranks 38th on combined fourth- and eighth-grade NAEP math and reading. On the 2024 Nation’s Report Card, only 26 percent of Maine fourth graders were proficient in reading.

The report states Maine has not adopted a parental bill of rights, has not required academic transparency, and has not rejected the classroom use of critical race theory. Town-tuitioning exists only where a district does not operate a public school at that grade level. Charter growth remains capped. Homeschooling and private options remain tightly regulated.

THE BOBBY CHARLES PLAN — NO NONSENSE IN SCHOOLS

•  Restore parental rights and full curriculum transparency so families know what is being taught.

•  Tie education funding to literacy, math, and science — not ideology or administrative bloat.

•  Support teachers by cutting bureaucracy and restoring classroom freedom; end DEI offices that divert dollars from kids.

•  Expand real choice: education savings accounts, homeschool tax relief, and fair treatment of private and religious schools consistent with Supreme Court precedent.

•  Get politics out of the classroom and boys out of girls’ sports.

“Maine used to lead the nation. In the 1990s our kids were at the top. Spending doubled and results collapsed. That is a leadership failure, not a teacher failure,” Charles said. “Hannah Pingree is Augusta. Janet Mills is Augusta. I am not. On Day One we start putting families back in charge.”

Learn more about Bobby’s plan to turn Maine around: BobbyForMaine.com.