An Act Regarding the School Board of the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 0420
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: CUMMINGS, KANE

12lst MAINE LEGISLATURE 
Legislative Document 
No. 420 
H.P.328 
House of Representatives, February 4, 2003 
An Act Regarding the School Board of the Governor Baxter School 
for the Deaf 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed. 
Presented by Representative CUMMINGS of Portland. 
Cosponsored by Representative: KANE of Saco. 
Prin.ed on recycled paper 
/rl~ 
'1I1·711~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 20·A MRSA §7406, sub·§l, as amended by PL 1999, c. 
775, §7, is further amended to read: 
1. 
Membership. 
In appointing members to the school board, 
the 
Governor 
shall 
give 
proper 
consideration 
to 
achieving 
statewide geographical representation, cultural equity and gender 
equi ty. 
In appointing voting members to the school board, the 
Governor 
shall 
select 
nominees 
with 
experience 
or 
special 
knowledge in one or more of the following areas: 
law, finance, 
organizational issues, management, education, human resources and 
collective bargaining. 
The school board and interested parties 
may submit a list of recommended candidates to the Governor to 
aid in making appointments of voting and nonvoting members. 
The 
appointments of voting members made by the Governor are subject 
to review by the joint standing committee of the Legislature 
having 
jurisdiction 
over 
education 
matters 
and 
subject 
to 
confirmation by the Legislature. 
The appointments of nonvoting 
members made by the Governor are not subject to review by the 
joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction 
over 
education 
matters 
or 
subject 
to 
confirmation 
by 
the 
Legislature. 
The 
Governor 
shall 
appoint 
the 
school 
board 
consisting of 
voting members 
and 
nonvoting members 
as 
follows: 
A. 
Four 
parents 
of 
students 
who 
are 
deaf 
or 
hard-of-hearing, including a minimum of one parent with a 
child enrolled in the residential program and one parent 
with a child receiving service from the school's outreach 
program; 
B. 
Three deaf representatives of the State's deaf community; 
c. 
Eight members of the general public, at least 2 of whom 
must have expertise in deaf education; and 
F. 
Two students, one who attends the school and one who 
receives 
outreach 
services, 
both of 
whom 
are 
nonvoting 
members 
and who may not participate as board members in 
executive sessions or receive materials as board members 
from executive sessions. 
Sec. 2. 20·A MRSA §7407. sub·§9. as enacted by PL 1995, c. 
676, §5 and affected by §13, is amended to read: 
9. 
Property management. 
The school board may acquire by 
purchase any property, lands, buildings, structures, facilities 
or equipment and make improvements to facilities necessary to 
fulfill 
the 
purposes 
of 
this 
chapter. 
The 
State 
retains 
Page l-LR1232(1) 
.. 
ownership of Mackworth Island and the school facilities. 
The 
school board has 
the legal authority to grant the necessary 
security interest in Mackworth Island and the facilities in order 
to 
secure 
bonds 
that 
geperate 
revenue 
to 
make 
necessar-y 
improvements 
to 
the 
school 
facilities 
on 
the 
island. 
Notwithstanding 
section 
7403, 
the 
school 
board 
may 
make 
alternative plans regarding the location of the school. 
SUMMARY 
The 
bill 
amends 
the 
appointment 
process 
for 
nonvoting 
student members of the School Board of the Governor Baxter School 
for the Deaf to provide that nonvoting members appointed by the 
Governor 
are 
not 
subject 
to 
review 
by 
the 
Joint 
Standing 
Committee 
on 
Education 
and 
Cultural 
Affairs 
nor 
subject 
to 
confirmation by the Legislature. 
This bill also clarifies that 
the 
School 
Board of 
the 
Governor Baxter School for the Deaf has the legal authority to 
grant the necessary security interest in Mackworth Island and the 
facilities in order to secure bonds that generate revenue to make 
necessary improvements to the school facilities on the island.