An Act To Regionalize Supervision of Students in the Unorganized Territory
Maine Legislature, Session 125, LD 0608
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: SAVIELLO

Legislative Document 
No. 608 
S.P. 188 
In Senate, February 17, 2011 
An Act To Regionalize Supervision of Students in the Unorganized 
Territory 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed. 
JOSEPH G. CARLETON, JR. 
Secretary of the Senate 
Presented by Senator SAVIELLO of Franklin. 
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 administrative 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 appropriate county and local 
officials in developing the jurisdictional lines of the 4 administrative districts. 
2.  Administrative structure.  The commissioner by rule shall establish the 
administrative structure within each administrative district and the manner of appointing 
or electing and the terms of superintendents for each administrative district. 
3.  Authority.  Once appropriate administrative districts have been established and 
administrative district superintendents elected or appointed, each superintendent may, in 
accordance with rules adopted by the commissioner, assume all administrative 
responsibilities and exercise all authority of the commissioner under this chapter with 
respect to students within that superintendent's administrative 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, 2012, the Commissioner of Education shall 
provisionally adopt and submit to the Legislature rules in accordance with the Maine 
Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 3501.  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 administrative district system established by 
the rules.  The Joint Standing Committee on Education may submit a bill related to the 
unorganized territory school administrative district system to the Second Regular Session 
of the 125th Legislature. 
SUMMARY 
This bill establishes a 4-district school administrative district 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 
administrative districts.  The commissioner is required to submit to the Second Regular 
Session of the 125th Legislature provisionally adopted rules and proposed legislation 
necessary to accomplish this transfer of responsibility.  The Joint Standing Committee on 
Education is authorized to submit a bill related to the unorganized territory school 
administrative district system to the Second Regular Session of the 125th Legislature.