An Act To Extend the Summer Tourism Season and Thereby Increase Sales Tax Revenues by Requiring" that the School Year in Maine Begin After Labor Day
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 1068
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: MARTIN, BEAULIEU, CAIN, PINKHAM, TUTTLE
Amends: 20-A MRSA §4771, 20-A MRSA §4801

Legislative Document 
No. 1068 
H.P.735 
House of Representatives, March 
An Act To Extend the Summer Tourism Season and Thereby 
Increase Sales Tax Revenues by Requiring" that the School Year in 
Maine Begin After Labor Day 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed. 
2009 
'17/~111. 77I1LC~{ 
Presented by Representative MARTIN of Eagle Lake. 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Cosponsored by Representatives: BEAULIEU of Auburn, CAIN of Orono, PINKHAM of 
Lexington Township, TUTTLE of Sanford. 
Primed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People ofthe State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §4771, as amended by PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. VVV, §1, is 
further amended to read: 
§477L Eligible institution and semester; defined 
As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, "eligible institution" 
means the institutions of the University of Maine System, the MaineCommunity College 
System and the Maine Maritime Academy. "Semester" means the fall, spring or summer 
term of an academic year. The fall semester may not begin before the official Labor Day 
holiday of each year. 
. Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §4801, sub-§l, as amended by PL 2005, c. 662, Pt. A, §10, 
is further amended tb read: 
1. Number. A school administrative unit shall make provision for the maintenance· 
of all of its schools for at least 180 days a year. A 180-day school year may not begin 
before the official Labor Day holiday of each year. At least 175 days shall must be used 
for instruction. In meeting the requirement of a 180-day school year, no more than 5 days 
may be used for in-service education of teachers, administrative meetings, parent-teacher 
conferences, records' days and similar activities. 
A. 
The commissioner may reduce or waive the minimum number of days required 
on application from a school board. The application must be supported in writing 
with a statement of the reasons for the request. 
B. 
Notwithstanding any other section of the statutes, school committees, with the 
approval of the commissioner, may adopt or amend rules necessary to implement an 
extended school year at the local level. The commissioner may make appropriate 
adjustments, not to exceed the allowable subsidy, to ifl:s.tH:e ensure fair and equitable 
treatment in the distribution of state aid. 
C. 
Notwithstanding this subsection, the commissioner shall promulgate adopt a rule 
to provide that local school units may allow secondary school students to graduate up 
to 5 school days prior to the regular end of the school year. 
D. 
A school administrative unit, operating under a plan approved by the 
commissioner, may provide for the use of up to 5 of the 175 instructional days 
required by this section to be used for screening incoming first year students for the 
purpose of identifying children with disabilities and students at risk of school failure 
as required by state or federal law. 
E. 
Notwithstanding this subsection and any other provision of law, for school years 
1991-92 and 1992-93, a school administrative unit may reduce the number of days 
for the maintenance of all its schools by 5 days a year. A school administrative unit 
that decides to reduce the number of school days for school year 1991-92 or 1992-93, 
or both, shall notify the commissioner in writing of its plan. 
) 
) 
) 
n 
( 
( 
'~ 
SUMMARY 
The purpose of this bill is to extend the summer tourism season, and thus increase 
sales tax revenues, by requiring that the school year in Maine begin after Labor Day, 
TIlls bill requires that the school year for Maine public schools and the fall semester for 
state universities and colleges not begin until after Labor Day of each year.