An Act To Clarify the Intent of School Budget Referendum Language
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 0069
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: COLWELL, TREAT, ANDREWS, CUMMINGS, FINCH, FISCHER, LEDWIN, NORTON, THOMAS, BRENNAN
Amends: 20-A MRSA §15614

Legislative Document 
No. 69 
H.P.77 
House of Representatives, January 16, 2003 
An Act To Clarify the Intent of School Budget Referendum 
Language 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed. 
Presented by Speaker COLWELL of Gardiner. 
Cosponsored by Senator TREAT of Kennebec and 
11'l~ /h.1lld£~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: ANDREWS of York, CUMMINGS of Portland, FINCH of Fairfield, 
FISCHER of Presque Isle, LEDWIN of Holden, NORTON of Bangor, THOMAS of Orono, 
Senator: BRENNAN of Cumberland. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §15614, sub-§I, 1fA, as enacted by PL 1983, 
c. 859, Pt. G, §§2 and 4, is amended to read: 
A. 
An article in substantially the following form 
6ba~~ 
must 
be 
used 
when 
a 
school 
administrative 
unit 
is 
considering the appropriation of the foundation allocation. 
(1) 
"Article 
To 
see 
what 
sum 
the 
municipality/district 
will 
appropriate 
from 
the 
foundation allocation for 
school purposes 
(Recommend 
$ 
) 
and 
to 
see 
what 
sum 
the 
municipality/district will raise as the local share of 
the 
foundation 
allocation 
(Recommend 
$ 
). 
Explanation: 
The foundation allocation is the amount 
of money determined by state law to be the minimum 
amount that a school district must raise in order to 
receive the full amount of state dollars." 
Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §15614, sub-§2, 1fA, as enacted by PL 1983, 
c. 859, Pt. G, §§2 and 4, is amended to read: 
A. 
An article in substantially the following form 
6ba~~ 
must 
be 
used 
when 
a 
school 
administrative 
unit 
is 
considering the appropriation for debt service allocation. 
(1) 
"Article 
To 
see 
what 
sum 
the 
municipality/district will raise as the local share of 
debt service (Recommend $ 
). 
Explanation: 
Debt 
service is the amount of money needed to repay the 
school district's long-term debt for construction. 
In 
this district, the total debt owed is ($ 
) • 
The 
local 
share 
of 
that 
debt 
is 
($ 
and 
the 
state-reimbursed share of that debt is ($ 
) ." 
Sec. 3. 20-A MRSA §15614, sub-§3, as amended by PL 1999, c. 
710, §12, is further amended to read: 
3. 
Additional local appropriation. 
unit may raise and expend funds 
for 
addi tion to the funds under subsections 
substantially the following 
form must 
administrative 
unit 
is 
considering 
additional local funds: 
A school administrative 
educational purposes in 
and 2. 
An article in 
be used when 
a 
school 
the 
appropriation 
of 
"Article 
will raise and 
in additional 
Maine 
Revised 
To see what sum the municipality/district 
to appropriate the sum of (Recommend $ 
) 
local funds 
for school purposes under the 
Statutes, 
Title 
20-A, 
section 
15614. 
Page l-LR1527(1) 
Explanation: 
The additional local funds are those locally 
raised funds over and above the minimum amount found in the 
foundation allocation that will help achieve 
the 
school 
district's budget for educational programs." 
SUMMARY 
Under 
current 
law, 
the 
legislative 
body 
of 
a 
school 
administrative unit must vote to raise and appropriate amounts 
using articles that are worded in "substantially" the same form 
as is set forth in the Maine Revised Statutes. 
This bill adds 
language to the required format of school referenda articles to 
explain to 
the voters 
the 
meaning 
of 
the 
terms 
"foundation 
allocation," "debt service" and "additional local funds."