S-410 Committee Amendment “A” [MAJORITY REPORT]
SUMMARY
This amendment is the majority report of the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs.
1. The amendment delays the implementation of the budget validation referendum process for school administrative districts, community school districts and municipal school units until fiscal year 2009-10 to coincide with the formation of the 2009-2010 school budgets for new regional school units that are organized pursuant to Public Law 2007, chapter 240, Part XXXX. The amendment also allows school administrative districts, community school districts and municipal school units the option of using the budget validation referendum process for the formation of 2008-2009 school budgets.
2. The amendment clarifies the authorization provided to regional planning committees to negotiate a cost-sharing agreement for those costs of a proposed regional school unit that are in addition to the local contribution required pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 15690.
3. The amendment repeals a cross-reference to the unit of law that is repealed in the bill regarding the requirement that each municipality that is a member of a new regional school unit contribute a minimum of 2 mills of the municipality's property fiscal capacity to the total cost of education of the new regional school unit.
4. The amendment includes language inadvertently left out of the bill regarding the requirement that the reorganization plan include a process for amending the cost-sharing formula.
5. The amendment clarifies the roles of the municipal officers and the school committee for municipal school units whose municipal charters give authority to approve the school budget to the municipal officers and establishes the requirements for calling a budget meeting and the procedures for the budget meeting.
6. The amendment clarifies the relationship between a regional school unit board and a local school that seeks to raise additional funds for an elementary school or a secondary school that is owned or managed by the member municipality. The amendment also removes 2 references to "elementary" schools in the school closure provisions to clarify that secondary schools are also subject to these requirements.
7. The amendment permits the Commissioner of Education to authorize so-called "doughnut hole" school units that have 1,200 or fewer students and no other available reorganization partners to form a regional school unit that serves at least 1,000 students if these isolated, rural school units meet certain criteria.
8. The amendment clarifies the assumption of existing debt that is transferred from an original education unit to a new regional school unit that is formed after July 1, 2008.
9. The amendment provides regional school unit boards with the legal authority to receive and spend state and local funds, including funds for the election of regional school unit board members and to hire a superintendent prior to the operational date of the new regional school unit on July 1, 2009.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
Fiscal Note
No net fiscal impact
Fiscal Detail and Notes
Although this legislation will not impact the total state and local cost of funding K-12 public education, beginning in fiscal year 2008-09 it may affect the distribution of subsidy to local school administrative units with some units receiving more subsidy and some units receiving less subsidy. The impact to individual school administrative units can not be determined at this time.
Allowing for a one year delay in the implementation of the cost center summary budget approval and validation process may result in savings to school administrative districts, community school districts and municipal school units. The amount can not be determined at this time.