An Act To Adjust the School Funding Formula with Regard to Unorganized Territories
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 0484
Committee Amendment CA_A-HA_B_H600 (House)
Amends: 20-A MRSA §3253-A

HOUSE AMENDMENT "B " to COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 368, 
L.D. 484, Bill, "An Act To Adjust the School Funding Formula with Regard to 
Unorganized Territories" 
Amend the amendment in section 1 by striking out all of subsection 4 and inserting 
the following: 
'4. Tuition. The commissioner shall pay tuition for each tuition student in the 
amount approved as the receiving administrative unit's official tuition cost pursuant to 
section 5804 or 7302 iR aR amoHRt agreed HpOR betweeR the commissioner aRd ilia school 
board of the HRit.' 
Amend the amendment by striking out all of sections 2 and 3 and inserting the 
following: 
'Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §3253-A, sub-§3, as amended by PL 1985, c. 603, §1 and 
PL 2005, c. 397, Pt. D, §3, is repealed and the following enacted in its place: 
3. Tuition. Notwithstanding section 5805, subsection 2 and section 5809, the 
commissioner shall pay tuition for each tuition student in an amount equal to the official 
tuition rate approved pursuant to section 5805, subsection I for the receiving school for 
nonresident students enrolled in secondary schools or special education or career and 
technical education programs as long as the student maintains a satisfactory standard of 
deportment and scholarship. The commissioner shall pay tuition for each tuition student 
in an amount equal to the official tuition rate approved pursuant to section 7302 for the 
receiving school for nonresident students enrolIed in special education programs, as long 
as the student maintains a satisfactory standard of deportment and scholarship.' 
SUMMARY 
This amendment removes the requirement in the Committee Amendment "A" that 
requires the Commissioner of Education to pay up to 110% of the receiving school 
administrative unit's established tuition rate for each elementary school student who is a 
tuition student from the unorgan ized territories and up to 110% of the state average per 
public secondary student cost for each secondary school student who is a tuition student 
HOUSE AMENDMENT 
HOUSE AMENDMENT ~ 
"to COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 368, L.D. 484 
from the unorganized territories. This amendment also removes the requirement from 
Committee Amendment "A" that requires the Commissioner of Education to compute the 
tuition paid for each tuition student and allocate the tuition costs to the property owners 
from the unorganized unit where the tuition student resides. 
Instead, this amendment requires the Commissioner of Education to pay each 
receiving unit's actual per student cost incurred for educating students in that receiving 
unit for both elementary and secondary students from the unorganized territories. This 
amendment removes the provision in current law that allows the commissioner to pay the 
lesser of the actual cost or the State average per-pupil cost. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
SPONSOREDBY~~~-----­
(Representat~ CARTER) 
TOWN: Bethel 
HOUSE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 06/15/07 
~ac:::.. 
LD484 
LR 1291(04) 
An Act To Adjust the School Funding Formula with Regard to Unorganized Territories 
Fiscal Note for House Amendment ,:/3 " to Committee Amendment "A" 
Sponsor: Rep. Carter of Bethel 
Net Cost (Savings) 
General Fund 
Appropriations/Allocations 
General Fund 
Revenue 
Other Special Revenue Funds 
Transfers 
General Fund 
Other Special Revenue Funds 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
2007-08 
($50,000) 
($773,953) 
($723,953) 
($723,953) 
$723,953 
2008-09 
$0 
($760,150) 
($760,150) 
($760,150) 
$760,150 
Projections 
2009-10 
$0 
($798,158) 
($798,158) 
($798,158) 
$798,158 
Projections 
2010-11 
$0 
($838,066) 
($838,066) 
($838,066) 
$838,066 
This amendment eliminates the one-time General Fund cost of $50,000 in fiscal year 2007-08 and strikes the General 
Fund appropriations to the Education in the Unorganized Territory program within the Department of Education of 
$723,953 in fiscal year 2007-08 and $760,150 in fiscal year 2008-09 that was to be offset by additional revenue 
collected from the townships in the unorganzied territory that have one or more tuition students. 
As amended, this bill will increase the cost of all property owners in the unorganized territory to tuition their students 
to schools outside of the unorganzied territory. The total cost can not be determined at this time. Because the 
additional revenue collected from property owners in the unorganzied territory as a result of the higher tuition costs 
will be transferred to the General Fund in order to reimburse the General Fund for the additional tuition costs, there is 
no net impact to General Fund. 
LRI 29 I (04) - Fiscal Note - Page I of I