An Act To Make Supplemental Appropriations and Allocations for the Expenditures of State Government and To Change Certain Provisions of the Law Necessary to the Proper Operations of State Government for the Fiscal Years Ending June 30, 2008 and June 30, 2009
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 2173
Committee Amendment CA_A-SA_A_S495 (Senate)
Amends: 20-A MRSA §1462, 20-A MRSA §1463, 20-A MRSA §1481, 20-A MRSA §1481-A

SENATE AMENDMENT" A" to COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 
1547, L.D. 2173, Bill, "An Act To Make Supplemental Appropriations and Allocations 
for the Expenditures of State Government and To Change Certain Provisions of the Law 
Necessary to the Proper Operations of State Government for the Fiscal Years Ending 
June 30, 2008 and June 30, 2009" 
Amend the amendment by inserting after Part MMMM the following: 
'PART NNNN 
Sec. NNNN-I. 20-A MRSA §1462, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. 
XXXX, § 13, is amended to read: 
3. Financing assumed debts. A regional school unit shall assume the outstanding 
indebtedness of a school administrative unit in existence prior to the operational date of 
the new regional school unit for school construction projects approved for subsidy under 
chapter 609 and pursuant to section 1506. If a regional school unit board of directors has 
assumed the outstanding indebtedness of a school administrative unit in existence prior to 
the operational date of the new regional school unit, the directors of the regional school 
unit board may, notwithstanding any other statute or any provision of any trust 
agreement, use any sinking fund or other money set aside by the school administrative 
unit in existence prior to the operational date of the new regional school unit to payoff 
the indebtedness for which the money was dedicated. A regional school unit board of 
directors is not required to assume the outstanding indebtedness of a school 
administrative unit in existence prior to the operational date of the new regional school 
unit in its regional school unit for nonstate-funded projects pursuant to section 15905-A 
and pursuant to section +48+ 1481-A. 
Sec. NNNN-2. 20-A MRSA §1463, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. 
XXXX, §13, is amended to read: 
2. Transfer of governing authority. The regional school unit board of directors, on 
the date established pursuant to subsection I, shall assume responsibility for the 
management and control of the public schools and programs within the school 
administrative units in existence prior to the operational date of the new regional school 
unit that are within the regional school unit. 
Those school administrative units in 
SENATE AMENDMENT 
.. ,. 
~. 
SENATE AMENDMENT" A" to COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 1547, L.D. 2173 
existence prior to the operational date of the new regional school unit on the date 
established in subsection 1 have no further responsibility for the operation or control of 
the public schools and programs within the school administrative unit except those 
pursuant to section +48+ 1481-A. 
Sec. NNNN-3. 20-A MRSA §1481, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. XXXX, 
§ 13, is repealed. 
Sec. NNNN-4. 20-A MRSA §1481-A is enacted to read: 
§1481-A. Finances 
1. Apportionment of costs for regional school unit. A regional school unit may 
raise money, in addition to the local contribution pursuant to section 15690, subsection I, 
for establishing and maintaining public schools, erecting buildings and providing 
equipment for educational purposes. The additional costs of operating a regional school 
unit must be shared among all municipalities within the regional school unit by the same 
local share percentages for each municipality resulting from the detennination ofthe local 
contribution under section 15688. 
2. Existing cost-sharing agreement. Notwithstanding subsection I, a cost-sharing 
agreement in existence on June 7, 2007 that was adopted pursuant to Public Law 2005, 
chapter 2 or pursuant to a private and special law remains in existence unless the parties 
to the agreement modify or tenninate the agreement: 
A. As part of a reorganization to regional school units under this chapter; or 
B. As a result of a negotiated agreement between the parties to the cost-sharing 
agreement. 
3. 
Method included in reorganization plan. 
Notwithstanding subsection I, a 
regional school unit may use a method of cost sharing that was included in a 
reorganization plan developed pursuant to section 1461 or Public Law 2007, chapter 240, 
Part XXXX, section 36 as long as the method complies with this subsection. 
A. 
The costs of operating a regional school unit must be shared among all 
municipalities within the unit in one of the following ways. 
(1) Under a property valuation method, municipalities in a unit shall share costs 
in the same proportion as each municipality's property fiscal capacity as defined 
in section 15672, subsection 23 is to the unit's property fiscal capacity. 
(2) Under an alternate method of cost sharing, municipalities in a unit shall share 
costs based on: 
Ca) The number of resident pupils in each town; 
eb) The property fiscal capacity of each member municipality as defined in 
section 15672, subsection 23; 
ec) Any combination of divisions Ca) and (b); or 
e d) Any other factor or combination of factors that may, but need not, 
include divisions Ca) or (b). 
SENATE AMENDMENT 
· .. , 
. 
. ~ 
SENATE AMENDMENT "A" to COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 1547, L.D. 2173 
B. 
A process of amending the cost-sharing formula must be included in the 
reorganization plan developed under this chapter. 
Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a cost-sharing agreement in 
existence on June 7, 2007 that was adopted pursuant to Public Law 2005, chapter 2 or 
pursuant to a private and special law may not be construed to preempt the formation of a 
regional school unit under this chapter. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the 
contrary, a cost-sharing agreement between 2 or more municipalities in existence on June 
7, 2007 that was adopted prior to June 7, 2007 may not be construed to preempt the 
formation of a regional school unit under this chapter. 
Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a municipality within a 
regional school unit may raise money and direct the spending of the funds to any school 
within the regional school unit.' 
Amend the amendment by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter 
or section number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment adds a section to add language to the school funding laws for 
apportionment costs, cost sharing and the method of cost sharing included in a school 
reorganization plan developed pursuant to Public Law 2007, chapter 240. 
SPONSOREDBY: _____ 
'~~4-__ ~ __ ~ 
__ ·_---_I_~_,_~_-______ __ 
(Senator TURNER) 
COUNTY: Cumberland 
F[SCAL ~OTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
SENATE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 03/26/08 7Jvac:.. 
LD 2173 
LR 3445(40) 
An Act To Make Supplemental Appropriations and Allocations for the Expenditures of State 
Government and To Change Certain Provisions of the Law Necessary to the Proper Operations of 
State Government for the Fiscal Years Ending June 30, 2008 and June 30, 2009 
Fiscal Note for Senate Amendment "A" to Committee Amendment "A" 
Sponsor: Sen. Turner of Cumberland 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
No State fiscal impact 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
This amendment will have no net effect on General Fund appropriations and revenue and a balanced budget is 
maintained for the 2008-2009 biennium. 
Although this amendment will not impact the total state and local cost of funding K-12 public education, beginning in 
fiscal year 2008-09 it may affect the distribution of subsidy to local school administrative units with some units 
receiving more subsidy and some units receiving less subsidy. The impact to individual school administrative units 
can not be determined at this time. 
LR3445(40) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1