Source: http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/bills_126th/billtexts/SP034009.asp
Timestamp: 2019-03-19 15:10:10
Document Index: 682316244

Matched Legal Cases: ['§2405', '§4', '§5', '§2407', '§5', '§1', '§2411', '§7', '§5', '§2413', '§3', '§2413', '§ 2413', '§15683', '§ 15683', '§15689', '§2', '§15689', '§2', '§61', '§72', '§18', '§15689', '§18', '§ 15689', '§15689', '§1', '§19']

SP0340, LD 995, item 9, ‘An Act To Establish a Moratorium on the Approval and Operation of Virtual Public Charter Schools and To Amend the Laws Related to Public Funding of Charter Schools’
LD 995 Session - 126th Maine Legislature
H "A", Filing Number H-828, Sponsored by Hubbell
‘An Act To Establish a Moratorium on the Approval and Operation of Virtual Public Charter Schools and To Amend the Laws Related to Public Funding of Charter Schools’
Whereas, implementation of Maine's recently enacted charter school law has resulted in substantial budgetary challenges for certain school administrative units that are located within the catchment areas of public charter schools recently approved by the Maine Charter School Commission; and
Whereas, the funding mechanism proposed by this Act must be initiated as soon as possible in order to enable school boards to make practicable budgetary decisions that will not be constrained by funding reductions that result from students enrolling in public charter schools after school administrative units have approved their budgets for the 2014-2015 school year; and
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §2405, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2011, c. 570, §§5 and 6, is further amended to read:
D. The oversight and services provided by the authorizer to the public charter schools under the authorizer's purview; and
Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §2407, sub-§5, ¶C, as amended by PL 2013, c. 272, §1, is further amended to read:
Sec. 3. 20-A MRSA §2411, sub-§7, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 414, §5, is amended to read:
7. Notification to commissioner and the Legislature. Within 10 days of taking action to renew, not renew or revoke a charter under this section, the authorizer shall report to the commissioner and the Legislature the action taken and shall provide a copy of the report to the public charter school at the same time that the report is submitted to the commissioner and the Legislature. The report must include a copy of the governing entity of the authorizer's resolution setting forth the action taken and reasons for the decision.
Sec. 4. 20-A MRSA §2413, sub-§3 is enacted to read:
3. Funding for public charter schools authorized by the commission. Beginning with fiscal year 2014-15, this section no longer applies to public charter schools authorized by the commission.
Sec. 5. 20-A MRSA §2413-A is enacted to read:
§ 2413-A. Funding for public charter schools authorized by the commission
Beginning with fiscal year 2014-15, this section applies to public charter schools authorized by the commission.
(1) The total allocation must be calculated pursuant to section 15683-B, based on the student's grade level and adjusted as appropriate for economically disadvantaged students and limited English proficiency students pursuant to section 15675, subsections 1 and 2. Debt service and capital outlays may not be included in the calculation of these allocations. The department shall adopt rules governing how to calculate per-pupil allocations, including those for targeted funds for assessment, technology and kindergarten to grade 2 programs.
(3) The department shall pay to the public charter school any additional allocation assigned to the public charter school because of a high-cost in-district special education placement in accordance with section 15681-A, subsection 2, paragraph B in the year in which the allocation is assigned as an adjustment to the public charter school's state contribution.
F. Any money received by a public charter school from any source and remaining in the school's accounts at the end of any budget year remains in the school's accounts for use by the school during subsequent budget years and may not revert to the authorizer or to the State.
Sec. 6. 20-A MRSA §15683-B is enacted to read:
§ 15683-B. Public charter schools; calculation of total allocation and state contribution
Beginning with fiscal year 2014-15, this section applies to public charter schools authorized by the Maine Charter School Commission in accordance with the funding provisions established in section 2413-A.
1. Calculation of EPS per-pupil rates. For a public charter school, the commissioner shall calculate that school's EPS per-pupil rate for each year as follows.
A. The EPS per-pupil rate for elementary grades is calculated by multiplying the number of students from the resident school administrative unit by the resident school administrative unit's elementary EPS per-pupil rate; then the total elementary cost for students from each resident school administrative unit is added and the result divided by the total elementary student counts in the public charter school. The result is the average elementary grade EPS per-pupil rate for the public charter school.
B. The EPS per-pupil rate for secondary grades is calculated by multiplying the number of students from the resident school administrative unit by the resident school administrative unit's secondary EPS per-pupil rate; then the total secondary cost for students from each resident school administrative unit is added and the result divided by the total secondary student counts in the public charter school. The result is the average secondary grade EPS per-pupil rate for the public charter school.
2. Pupil counts. For a public charter school, the commissioner shall determine that school's student counts for each year as follows.
3. Operating allocation. For a public charter school, the commissioner shall determine that school's operating allocation for each year as the sum of:
A. The base allocation, which is the pupil counts in subsection 2, paragraph A multiplied by the public charter school's EPS per-pupil rates in subsection 1;
F. The targeted funds for public preschool to grade 2 student allocation, which is based on the preschool to grade 2 pupil counts in subsection 2, paragraph A multiplied by the public charter school's elementary EPS per-pupil rates in subsection 1.
4. Other subsidizable costs allocation. For a public charter school, the commissioner shall determine that school's other subsidizable costs allocation for each year as the sum of:
A public charter school does not pay for its students to attend career and technical education programs, and therefore is not entitled to career and technical education funding. The school administrative unit in which the public charter school student resides must pay the cost of attendance for the student at a career and technical education program.
5. Total allocation and state contribution. For a public charter school, the commissioner shall determine that school's total allocation as the sum of the school's operating allocation and other subsidizable costs allocation, and this amount is the state contribution.
7. MaineCare seed. For public charter schools, the commissioner may deduct from a public charter school's state subsidy and pay on behalf of the public charter school allowable school-based costs that represent the public charter school's portion of MaineCare payments. A transfer of payment by the department to the Department of Health and Human Services must be made pursuant to a schedule agreed upon by the Department of Health and Human Services and the department and based on documentation of payments made from MaineCare funds.
C. The preliminary calculation of total allocation, which must be replaced with actual student data once students have been enrolled for the new school year. The new or newly expanded public charter school must enroll new students no later than August 1st in the State's student information system.
Sec. 7. 20-A MRSA §15689-B, sub-§2-A is enacted to read:
Sec. 8. 20-A MRSA §15689-C, sub-§2, ¶A, as enacted by PL 2005, c. 2, Pt. D, §61 and affected by §§72 and 74 and c. 12, Pt. WW, §18, is amended to read:
Sec. 9. 20-A MRSA §15689-D, as amended by PL 2013, c. 368, Pt. C, §18, is further amended to read:
§ 15689-D. Governor's recommendation for funding levels
1. Annual recommendations. The Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of the Budget shall annually certify to the Legislature the funding levels that the Governor recommends under sections 15683, 15683-A, 15683-B, 15688-A, 15689 and 15689-A and the amount for any other components of the total cost of funding public education from kindergarten to grade 12 pursuant to this chapter. The Governor's recommendations must be transmitted to the Legislature within the time schedules set forth in Title 5, section 1666 and in the form and manner described in subsection 2. The commissioner may adjust, consistent with the Governor's recommendation for funding levels, per-pupil amounts not related to staffing pursuant to section 15680 and targeted funds pursuant to section 15681.
2. Funding level computations. The Governor’s recommendations under subsection 1 must specify the amounts that are recommended for the total operating allocation pursuant to section 15683, the total of other subsidizable costs pursuant to section 15681-A, the total debt service allocation pursuant to section 15683-A, the total allocation pursuant to section 15683-B, the total costs of enhancing student performance and opportunity pursuant to section 15688-A, the total adjustments pursuant to section 15689, the total miscellaneous costs pursuant to section 15689-A, the amount for any other components of the total cost of funding public education from kindergarten to grade 12 and the total cost of funding public education from kindergarten to grade 12 pursuant to this chapter. The Governor’s recommendations regarding the adjustments and miscellaneous costs components also must delineate each amount that is recommended for each subsection and paragraph under sections 15689 and 15689-A and the purposes for each cost in these sections. For each amount shown in the Governor’s recommendations, the Governor’s recommendations must also show the amount for the same component or purpose that is included in the most recently approved state budget, the differences between the amounts in the most recently approved state budget and the Governor’s recommendations and the reasons for the changes.
Sec. 10. 20-A MRSA §15689-E, sub-§1, ¶B, as amended by PL 2013, c. 368, Pt. C, §19, is further amended to read:
Sec. 13. Review. The Maine Charter School Commission shall review the requirements of the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, chapter 112 and the virtual public charter school models that have been implemented in other states and shall develop a model for virtual public charter schools that will best serve the academic and developmental needs of Maine students. The Maine Charter School Commission shall submit a report on the review of virtual public charter schools to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education and cultural affairs no later than December 3, 2014. The report must include the commission's findings and recommendations and any necessary implementing legislation regarding the authorization and operation of virtual public charter schools in the State. The committee is authorized to report out a bill to the First Regular Session of the 127th Legislature related to the recommendations included in this report.
This amendment strikes the bill and replaces it with the following.
1. It establishes provisions to fund public charter schools that are authorized by the Maine Charter School Commission beginning in fiscal year 2014-15. The amendment establishes provisions that calculate the total allocation of funds to be provided under general purpose aid for local schools for public charter schools that are authorized by the Maine Charter School Commission and establishes that the Commissioner of Education must adjust the operating allocation calculated for public charter schools by multiplying the operating allocation by the appropriate transition percentage in accordance with the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 15671, subsection 7.
2. It also provides that, beginning in fiscal year 2014-15, the Commissioner of Education's recommendations for funding levels under the Essential Programs and Services Funding Act must include funding level computations for the total operating allocation of funds to public charter schools authorized by the commission in accordance with the provisions of this amendment.
3. Like the bill, this amendment establishes a moratorium on virtual public charter schools, but the amendment changes the period during which the moratorium applies to the period between the effective date of this legislation and one year following the effective date of this legislation.
4. Like the bill, this amendment requires the commission to develop a model for virtual public charter schools and to submit a report, but the amendment removes the requirements that the model apply only to part-time students in grades 9 to 12 and place an emphasis on blended learning.
5. This amendment requires that virtual public charter schools and authorizers include the Legislature among the recipients of certain of their reports.