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Maine
Key Vote
School Consolidation
Project Vote Smart's Synopsis:
Vote to adopt a conference report that consolidates and reorganizes Maine's school districts.
Official Title of Legislation:
LD 1932: An Act To Amend the Laws Regarding School Funding
Official Synopsis:
The bill amends the laws regarding school funding to address and correct school funding issues that present barriers to the implementation of school reorganization.
Highlights:
- Amended from previous conference report by Senate Amendment D to remove Emergency Clause
- This bill has been significantly altered from its original form due to amendments made in committee.
- Requires school districts to have at least 1200 students enrolled unless the population density is less than 50 residents per square mile
(sec. A-3).
- Allows voters to petition their municipality to hold a special election to call for the dissolution of a regional school district (sec. A-16)
- Upon dissolution of a regional school district, the newly established municipal school district must enter an agreement to provide educational services for all affected students and employees as if the regional school district had not been dissolved, these responsibilities include: (sec. A-16)
- establishing transportation services honoring all collective bargaining agreements entered by the former regional school district
transferring and reassigning positions for all teachers and other employees
- Elections on the dissolution of a school board will be held in all effected municipalities (sec. A-16).
- Prohibits a municipality within a regional school district from petitioning for dissolution within 2 years of a vote in which:
- a municipal vote on the petition received less than 60 % of votes cast or;
- a regional school district vote on dissolution received less than 45 % of the vote (sec. A-16)
- Prohibits a regional school district or school union from serving less than 2500 students unless extenuating circumstances exist (sec. 28-A).
- Creates a Regional School Union Committee responsible for: (sec. C-9)
- employing and discharging a superintendent
- administration of accounting, payroll, and financial management
- administration of transportation
- creation of a core curriculum, standardized testing, and assessment
- preparation of the regional school unit budget
- adoption of standardized rules for all schools within the regional school union
- apportionment of costs of the regional school union in accordance to the cost-sharing formula established by the reorganization plan
- Transfers ownership of debts and employment agreements to the newly created regional school union. (sec. C-9)
- Allows school administrative unit to join an existing regional school union by taking the same steps necessary for the formation of a regional school union. (sec. C-9).
- Requires the voters within a regional school union to approve the regional school union budget by referendum. (sec. C-9).
Full Text of Legislation (PDF Document)
Senate Passage: 02/25/2008 : Bill Passed 20 - 13 (Roll no. 285) House Passage With Amendment: 03/06/2008 : Bill Passed 86 - 51 (Roll no. 230) Senate Concurrence Vote: 03/10/2008 : Concurrence Vote Failed 10 - 24 (Roll no. 294) Senate Conference Report Vote: 03/20/2008 : Conference Report Adopted: 26 - 8 (Roll no. 307) House Conference Report Vote: 04/02/2008 : Conference Report Rejected: 97 - 46 (Roll no. 313)
NOTE: THIS VOTE RECONSIDERS A PREVIOUS VOTE. House Conference Report Vote: 04/04/2008 : Conference Report Adopted: 83 - 47 (Roll no. 329) Senate Conference Report Vote: 04/07/2008 : Conference Report Adopted 21 - 14 (Roll no. 393) Senate Override of Veto: 04/07/2008 : Veto Override Failed: 12 - 23 (Roll no. 394) Governor Passage: 04/07/2008 : Vetoed
Sponsor: Sen. Bowman, Peter
Cosponsors:
PVS provides summaries for each version of the bill selected as a key vote. The summary does not necessarily reflect the final version of the bill. For further status information, call the Voter's Research Hotline at 1-888-VOTE-SMART (1-888-868-3762).
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