An Act To Increase Maine's High School Graduation Rates
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 1658
Committee Amendment CA_A_S429 (Senate)

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to S.P. 623, L.D. 1658, Bill, "An Act To 
Increase Maine's High School Graduation Rates" 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the 
summary and insel1ingthe following: 
'Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA c. 211, sub-c. I-B is enacted to read: 
SUBCHAPTER I-B 
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATE 
§5031. High school graduation rate 
1. Goal. It is the goal of the State to achieve a graduation rate of 90% by the end of 
the 2015-2016 school year for each publicly supported secondalY school. 
2. Technical assistance. The department shall provide forms to publicly sllpp0l1ed 
secondalY schools for rep0l1ing graduation rates. 
The commissioner shall provide 
technical assistance to publicly supp0l1ed secondary schools in the State that have not 
attained a graduation rate of 80% by the end of the 2012-2013 school year. Publicly 
supported secondary schools that do not meet the 80% graduation rate by the end of the 
2012-2013 school year shall provide the commissioner with a copy of the action plan 
developed under section 5103, subsection 5 no later than December 31, 2013. The action 
plan may include the steps necessaIY to achieve a graduation rate of 90% by the end of 
the 2015-2016 school year. 
3. Rules. The depaI1ment shall adopt rules specifying the method to be tised to 
calculate publicly supported secondaIY school graduation rates through 2016 and dates by 
which graduation rates must be reported to the depal1ment. Rules adopted under this 
section are major substantive rules pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A and 
must be provisionally adopted and submitted to the Legislature for review no later than 
JanualY 14,2011. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "If" to S.P. 623, L.D. 1658 
Sec. 2. Stakeholder group. The Commissioner of Education shall establish a 
stakeholder group to develop methodologies and recommendations relating to increasing 
publicly supported secondary school graduation rates, as well as policies related to school 
expulsion, suspension, zero-tolerance practices and truancy, in the State. The stakeholder 
group must include, but is not limited to, the Commissioner of Education or the 
commissioner's designee, educators and other persons the commissioner determines will 
contribute to the development of effective policies. The commissioner shall invite the 
participation 6f: 
1. 
Representatives of the following educational associations nominated by the 
respective associations: 
A. The Maine School Boards Association; 
B. The Maine School Superintendents Association; 
C. The Maine Education Association; 
D. The Maine Administrators of Services for Children with Disabilities; and 
E. The Maine School Counselor Association; 
2. A school attendance coordinator in a secondary school in the State; and 
3. An elementary school teacher or administrator in the State. 
The commissioner and the stakeholder group shall review existing plans developed 
by the advisory committee on truancy, dropouts and alternative education established 
pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 5152, the performance plans 
developed by the Maine Administrators of Services for Children with Disabilities and 
other existing plans developed by an educational association in the State. 
Sec. 3. Report to Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural 
Affairs. The Commissioner of Education and the stakeholder group under section 2 shall 
repO\i their recommendations for increasing graduation rates to the Joint Standing 
Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs by November 1, 2010. The repO\i must 
include, but is not limited to, recommendations relating to: 
1. The establishment of guidelines for school suspensions and expulsions, including 
notification of hearings, time frames, provision of educational suppO\i services, pathways 
to reinstatement and alternatives to expulsion and suspension; 
2. The impact and implementation of zero-tolerance practices; 
3. Best practices for secondary schools, families and youth for increasing secondary 
school graduation rates; 
4. The maximum age of mandatory school attendance; and 
5. The impact and effectiveness of the current truancy laws. 
The Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs may accept and 
discuss the report at an authorized interim committee meeting. After receipt and review of 
the repOli, the committee may make recommendations to the Commissioner of Education 
for further action and provide these recommendations and comments to the joint standing 
committee of the 125th Legislature having jurisdiction over education matters.' 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 'A" to S.P. 623, L.D. 1658 
SUMMARY 
The amendment requires the Department of Education rather than the State Board of 
Education to adopt rules specifYing the method used to calculate publicly supported 
secondary school graduation rates. It also requires the depaliment to provide technical 
assistance to schools that have not attained an 80% graduation rate by the end of the 
2012-2013 school year. 
It requires these schools to develop and submit to the 
department a corrective action plan. The amendment expands the membership of the 
stakeholder group to be established by the Commissioner of Education and explicitly 
directs the group to review plans developed by the commissioner's advisory committee 
on truancy, dropouts and alternative education and other groups. 
The amendment changes the date for the working group to report its findings fi'om 
January 10,2011 to November 1,2010. The Joint Standing Committee on Education and 
Cultural Affairs of the 124th Legislature may receive and discuss the repOli at an 
authorized interim meeting of the committee. The amendment allows the committee to 
make recommendations to the Commissioner of Education and to the joint standing 
committee of the 125th Legislature havingjurisdiction over education matters. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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Revised: 03/08/1 0 
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LD 1658 
LR 2251(02) 
An Act To Increase Maine.'s High School Graduation Rates 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment ,14" 
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs 
. State Mandates 
Required Activity 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
State Mandate - Unfunded 
Requires secondary schools that have not attained an 80% graduation rate by the end 
of the 2012-2013 school year to provide the Commissioner of Education with a copy 
of an action plan developed pursuant to Title 20-A, section 5103, subsection 5 by 
December 31,2013. 
Unit Affected 
School 
Local Cost. 
Insign ificant 
statewide 
The required local activities in this bill may represent a State mandate pursuant to the Constitution of Maine. Unless 
General Fund appropriations are provided to fund at least 90% of the additional costs or a Mandate Preamble is 
amended to the bill and two-thirds of the members of each House vote to exempt this mandate from the funding 
requirement, municipalities may not be required to implement these changes. 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Additional costs to the Department of Education to I) provide the required technical assistance; 2) adopt the required 
rules; 3) establish the required stakeholder group to develop the required methodologies and recommendations; and 4) 
prepare the required report can be absorbed within existing budgeted resources. 
LR225 1 (02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1 
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