An Act To Limit the Scope of Mis.cellaneous Costs within the General Purpose Aid for Local Schools Appropriation Reference-to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered printed.
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 1126
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: TRAHAN, McKANE, NUTTING, RAYE, WESTON, FINCH, PENDLETON, PIEH, RICHARDSON, SCHATZ
Amends: 20-A MRSA §15689-A

MAINE STATE LEGISLATURE 
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124th MAl E LEGISLATURE 
Legislative Document 
No. 1126 
S.P.417 
In Senate, March 25, 2009 
An Act To Limit the Scope of Mis.cellaneous Costs within the 
General Purpose Aid for Local Schools Appropriation 
Reference-to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed. 
Presented by Senator TRAHAN of Lincoln. 
Cosponsored by Representative McKANE of Newcastle and 
9t~(J~ 
JOY J. O'BRIEN 
Secretary of the Senate 
Senators: NUTTING of Androscoggin, RAYE of Washington, WESTON of Waldo, 
Representatives: FINCH of Fairfield, PENDLETON of Scarborough, PIEH of Bremen, 
RICHARDSON of Carmel, SCHATZ of Blue Hill. 
Printed on rccydcd paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §15689-A, sub-§6, as enacted by PL 2005, c. 2,Pt. D, §61 
and affected by §§72 and 74 and C.' 12, Pt WW, § 18, is repealed. 
Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §15689-A, sub-§10, as amended by PL 2007, c. 539, Pt. W, 
§ 1, is repealed. 
Sec. 3. 20-A MRSA §15689-A, sUlb-§12-A, as amended byPL 2007, c. 539, Pt. 
C, § 11, is further amended to read: 
12-A. Learning through technology. The commissioner may pay costs attributed 
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to staff support and system maintenance for a program that· promotes learning through 
technology. A transfer of All Other funds from the General Purpose Aid for Local 
Schools account to Personal Services and All Other line categories in the. Learning 
Through Teohr!ology General Fund nonlapsing account sufficient to support the Personal 
Services and All Other costs of one Education Team and Policy Director position, 2 
Education Specialist III positions,. one Planning and Research Associate I position,. one 
Director of Special Projects position, on~ Education Specialist II position, the General 
Fund share of one Education Specialist II position and the agreement that provides one-
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to-one wireless computers for 7th grade, 8th grade and high school students and educators 
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may occur annually by financial order upon recommendation of the State Budget Officer 
andannroval of the Governor. 
Sec. 4. 20-A MRSA §15689-A, sUlb-§16, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 539, Pt. C, 
§ 12, is repealed. 
Sec. 5. 20",A MRSA §15689-A, sub-§17, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 539, Pt. W, 
§3,is repealed. 
Sec. 6. 20-A MRSA §15689-A, sUlb-§18, as reallocated by RR 2007, c. 2, §6, is 
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repealed. 
SUMMARY 
This bill amends the law concerning the various. elements of the "miscellaneous 
costs" component of the general purpose aid for local schools appropriation, or GPA 
appropriation. The premise of the bill is that. the GP A appropriation should be either a 
. general purpose subsidy· to local schools or· a state expenditure that provides direct 
educational services to students who would otherwise be served by the State's public 
elementary or secondary schools. The bili eliminates the Commissioner of Education's 
. authority to use GPAfunds to pay the personnel costs for a range of state employees who 
work for the Department of Education and provide only indirect support to the public 
education system. The bill eliminates a similar authority to use GPA funds to pay for the 
personnel costs of 3 teachers employed by the Department of Corrections .. The bill also 
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eliminates the authority to use GP A funds to pay for general education research 
conducted by the University of Maine, but it retains the authority to use GPA funds to 
Page I - 124LR0466(OI)-1 
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cover a contract with the university to monitor and update the essential programs and . 
services school funding model. 
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