An Act To Encourage School Administrative Units To Collaborate with Other School Administrative Units
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 0835
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: SILSBY, MITCHELL, BARSTOW, BERRY, CLEARY, CONNOR, CROCKETT, FAIRCLOTH, NORTON, TRINW ARD

Legislative Document 
No. 835 
H.P.634 
House of Representatives, February 23, 2007 
An Act To Encourage School Administrative Units To Collaborate 
with Other School Administrative Units 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed. 
Presented by Representative SILSBY of Augusta. 
Cosponsored by Senator MITCHELL of Kennebec and 
'7Jl~ 1J? 7l/d£~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: BARSTOW of Gorham, BERRY of Bowdoinham, CLEARY of Houlton, 
CONNOR of Kennebunk, CROCKETT of Augusta, FAIRCLOTH of Bangor, NORTON of 
Bangor, TRINW ARD of Waterville. 
Printed on recyclt:d paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
CONCEPT DRAFT 
SUMMARY 
This bill is a concept draft pursuant to Joint Rule 208. 
The bill proposes to provide the opportunity for current school administrative units to 
form regional cooperatives to aid in the efficient delivery of educational services while 
maintaining a high-quality educational system for students, teachers, community 
members and schools. The bill would balance the independence of the legislative bodies 
of school administrative units and local control with the efficient delivery of 
administrative services for schools while enhancing the educational programs provided 
for prekindergarten to grade 12 public education students in the State. 
Under this bill, school administrative units would form regional cooperatives that 
serve at least 2,800 students. The bill would also establish the Efficient Delivery of 
Educational Services Commission, referred to in this concept draft as "the commission," 
whose responsibilities include management of the fund, along with supporting, approving 
and monitoring the progress of the regional cooperatives. The regional cooperatives 
would apply to the commission for approval and financial incentives through the existing 
Fund for the Efficient Delivery of Educational Services, established under the Maine 
Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 15754. 
The commission would implement 
reorganization and cost savings for school administrative units that do not participate in a 
regional cooperative and for school administrative units that are unable to achieve the 
cost-savings benchmarks established by the commission for regional cooperatives. 
Key Elements: 
1. A school administrative unit may enter into an agreement with another school 
administrative unit or units to form a regional cooperative to increase efficiency and 
lower costs of delivering public education for prekindergarten to grade 12 students and to 
provide for equitable, high-quality education for all students. 
2. 
School administrative units would develop regional cooperatives that are 
contiguous and advantageous to the community and their delivery of an educational 
system for prekindergarten to grade 12 students. 
3. The commission would be formed to support, approve, and monitor regional 
cooperatives. 
A. 
The membership of the commission would include the Commissioner of 
Education, the Commissioner of Administrative and Financial Services, two members 
of the Legislature who would be appointed by the Speaker of the House and the 
President of the Senate, a member of the State Board of Education, four members 
representing public school officials and four members of the general public appointed 
by the Govertlor. 
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B. 
The commiSSIOn would approve regional cooperatives and offer financial 
incentives to regional cooperatives through the Fund for the Efficient Delivery of 
Educational Services. 
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C. 
The commission would define the expenditures to be included in the system 
administration cost category established in Title 20-A, section 15680 and would 
establish benchmarks for the level of per-pupil cost savings to be achieved by school 
administrative units for the 2008-2009 and 2010-2011 legislative biennia. 
The 
benchmarks selected by the commission would be based on either the national 
average or the average of peer states of per-pupil expenditures for the system 
administration cost category. 
The definition of the system administration cost 
category developed by the commission would include, but would not be limited to, 
the following: 
(I) Financial management functions; 
(2) Administrative personnel; 
(3) Transportation; 
(4) Facilities and maintenance; 
(5) Human resource management; 
(6) Supplies and equipment; 
(7) Fuel and utilities; 
(8) Specialized education; 
(9) School nutrition programs; and 
(10) Professional development. 
D. The commission would make an annual recommendation to the Commissioner of 
Education for the enactment of a per-pupil expenditure rate for the distribution of 
state subsidy under the Essential Programs and Services Funding Act over this 4-year 
period in order to ensure that the per-pupil expenditures for the system administration 
cost category established in Title 20-A, section 15680 would be reduced each year 
until this rate matches the benchmark for the per-pupil expenditures for the system 
administration cost category selected by the commission by fiscal year 20 I 0-11. 
E. The commission would also provide models of efficient and effective governance 
and administrative structures that promote student achievement, including data that 
can be used by school boards, superintendents and school administrative units that 
participate in existing or emerging regional cooperatives. 
F. The commission would be required to submit a quarterly report to the Legislature 
and the Governor on the progress of regional cooperatives. The commission would 
submit a report on the educational mandates that are in statute that contribute to costs 
of education at state and local levels and would make recommendations to the 
Legislature. 
4. 
In order for an entity to qualify for approval by commiSSIOn as a regional 
cooperative, the entity must have a minimum of 2,800 students and establish a regional 
plan to generate cost savings in the delivery of public education services from 
prekindergarten to grade 12 that contains: 
A. A mission statement and related cost-saving goals and objectives; 
B. A plan that establishes a governance body and organization; 
C. Specific cost-saving targets for per-pupil system administration that meet the per-
pupil expenditures for the system administration cost category established in Title 20-
A, section 15680 and the benchmarks selected by the commission for the per-pupil 
expenditures for the system administration cost category; 
D. A plan for reimbursement of the savings realized through implementation of the 
regional plan to taxpayers; 
E. 
A plan for the regional cooperative to report annually to the citizenry on the 
ongoing school improvement process and the school administrative unit's updated 
comprehensive educational plan; and 
F. A plan to review and ensure the sustainability of the cost effectiveness of local 
schools. 
5. The commission may approve some extreme cases of geographic hardship for 
entities with less than the approved number of students. 
6. 
School administrative units with current student populations of at least 2,800 
would not be required to form regional cooperatives, but would be required to comply 
with the annual per-pupil expenditure benchmarks established by the commission for the 
system administration cost category. If the commission determines that such a school 
administrative unit fails to meet these benchmarks, then the commission would develop 
and implement a reorganization and cost-savings plan for the school administrative unit. 
7. If a school administrative unit has not entered into a regional cooperative by June 
2009 or if the commission determines that school administrative unit has failed to meet 
the annual per-pupil expenditure benchmarks established by the commission for the 
system administration cost category, then the commission would develop and implement 
a reorganization and cost-savings plan for the school administrative unit. 
Timeline: 
From September 2007 to June 2008: School administrative units seek input from the 
public about regional cooperatives and begin planning regional cooperatives. 
By June 2008: School administrative units form regional cooperatives and apply to the 
commission. 
By July 2008: Commission approves regional cooperatives. 
By June 2009: Regional cooperatives implement plans, make adjustments and report cost 
savings. 
By July 2009: Commission implements reorganization and cost-saving plans for school 
administrative units that have not entered into a regional cooperative or that have failed to 
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meet the annual per-pupil expenditure benchmarks established by the commission for the 
system administration cost category. 
By May 20 10: Regional cooperatives realign work, plan for sustainability and report 
progress . 
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