LR 3491: Education Committee Bill “B”

SUMMARY

            This bill is introduced by the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs pursuant to Public Law 2007, Chapter 240, Section XXXX-47.  The bill proposes to make the following changes to fully implement the laws governing the formation of regional school units.

1.  It provides an exemption for those regional school units -- where the regional school unit board has approved a budget that proposes to spend less than 5% above the level of funding outlined in the essential programs and services funding model -- from the budget validation referendum process until the regional school unit board proposes a budget that meets or exceeds that funding level.

2.  It provides an exemption for municipal school units from the budget validation referendum process in cases where the municipal charter defines roles and process for developing and approving the school budget.

3.  It provides an exemption for efficient, high-performing school units that provide kindergarten to grade 12 public education where all schools in the school unit qualify as efficient, high-performing schools and meet the requirement that the fiscal year 2005-06 administrative spending for the school unit is less than 4% of its total spending.  It also provides these qualifying school units an extension to file for an alternative plan under this exemption until August 31, 2008.

4.  It replaces the so-called “53.86%” penalty for any school administrative unit that fails to approve a reorganization plan on or before November 4, 2008 and to implement that plan by July 1, 2009 with a penalty that provides that the school administrative unit’s full-value education mill rate pursuant to Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 15671-A is increased by 2% for the purpose of calculating the school administrative unit’s required contribution to meet the local share of education costs established pursuant to Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 15688, subsection 3-A.