An Act To Regionalize Supervision of Students in the Unorganized Territory
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 0930
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: SA VIELLO, SHERMAN, AYOTTE, CARTER, CLARK, CLEARY, FINLEY, GIFFORD, PATRICK

Legislative Document 
No. 930 
H.P.705 
House of Representati ves, March 1, 2007 
An Act To Regionalize Supervision of Students in the Unorganized 
Territory 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed. 
Presented by Representative SA VIELLO of Wilton. 
Cosponsored by Senator SHERMAN of Aroostook and 
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m.77!d£~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: AYOTTE of Caswell, CARTER of Bethel, CLARK of Millinocket, CLEARY 
of Houlton, FINLEY of Skowhegan, GIFFORD of Lincoln, McLEOD of Lee, PATRICK of 
Rumford. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA c. 119, sub-c. 6 is enacted to read: 
SUBCHAPTER 6 
REGIONAL ADMINISTRATION 
§3501. Regionalization 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the commissioner shall, by rules adopted 
in accordance with this SUbchapter, establish 4 administrative districts to manage and 
administer schools within the unorganized territory. 
1. 
Districts. 
The 4 districts must be established by rules adopted by the 
commissioner and include a western district, a central district, an eastern district and a 
northern district. 
The commissioner shall work with county and local officials in 
developing the jurisdictional lines ofthe 4 districts. 
2. 
Administrative structure. 
The commissioner by rule shall establish the 
administrative structure within each district and the manner of appointing or electing and 
the terms of superintendents for each district. 
3. 
Authority. 
Once appropriate districts have been established and district 
superintendents elected or appointed, each superintendent may, in accordance with rules 
adopted by the commissioner, exercise all administrative responsibilities and authority of 
the commissioner under this chapter with respect to students within that superintendent's 
respective district and may hire such personnel as necessary to carry out these 
administrative responsibilities. 
4. Rules. Rules adopted under this section are major substantive rules as defined in 
Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. 
Sec. 2. 
Report. 
By January 1, 2008, the Commissioner of Education shall 
provisionally adopt and submit to the Legislature rules in accordance with the Maine 
Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 350l. The commissioner shall also submit to the 
Joint Standing Committee on Education, at the same time it submits the provisionally 
adopted rules, draft legislation that amends current law as necessary to facilitate and 
conform to the unorganized territory school district system established by the rules. The 
Joint Standing Committee on Education may submit a bill related to the unorganized 
territory school district system to the Second Regular Session of the 123rd Legislature. 
SUMMARY 
This bill establishes a 4-district school administrative system for the unorganized 
territory. The bill requires the Commissioner of Education to develop rules to transfer 
state management of the school systems in the unorganized territory to these 4 districts. 
The commissioner is required to submit to the Second Regular Session of the 123rd 
Page! - 123LR1363(OI.l-1 
Legislature provisionally adopted rules and proposed legislation necessary to accomplish 
this transfer of responsibility. The Joint Standing Committee on Education is authorized 
to report out a bill related to the unorganized telTitory school district system to the Second 
Regular Session of the 123rd Legislature . 
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