An Act To Require the Department of Education To Report on the Costs and Sources of Funding of Charter Schools
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 0233
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: MILLETT, NELSON, ALFOND, BOYLE, JOHNSON, DAUGHTRY, MORRISON
Amends: 20-A MRSA §2403, 20-A MRSA §2405

Legislative Document 
No. 233 
S.P. 69 
In Senate, February 5, 2013 
An Act To Require the Department of Education To Report on the 
Costs and Sources of Funding of Charter Schools 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed. 
DAREK M. GRANT 
Secretary of the Senate 
Presented by Senator MILLETT of Cumberland. 
Cosponsored by Representative NELSON of Falmouth and 
Senators: President ALFOND of Cumberland, BOYLE of Cumberland, JOHNSON of Lincoln, 
Representatives: DAUGHTRY of Brunswick, MORRISON of South Portland. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §2403, sub-§7, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 414, §5, is 
amended to read: 
7.  Reports.  Four years after public charter schools have been in operation, the 
commissioner shall issue to the Governor, the Legislature and the public a report on the 
State's public charter school program, drawing from the annual reports submitted by 
every authorizer pursuant to section 2405, subsection 4, as well as any additional relevant 
data compiled by the commissioner up to the school year ending in the preceding 
calendar year.  The report must include an assessment of the public charter school 
program's successes, challenges and areas for improvement in meeting the purposes of 
this chapter and any suggested changes in state law or policy necessary to strengthen the 
public charter school program.  The commissioner shall issue a similar report after 8 
years of operation of public charter schools. 
On or before July 1st of each year, the commissioner shall report to the Governor, the 
Legislature and the public the overall cost of all public charter schools in the State and the 
source of all funds supporting all public charter schools and the overall cost of each 
public charter school and the source of all funds supporting each public charter school. 
This report must include the source of funds for an authorizer if the authorizer is a source 
of funds for a public charter school under this chapter. 
Sec. 2.  20-A MRSA §2405, sub-§4, ¶D, as amended by PL 2011, c. 570, §5, is 
further amended to read: 
D.  The oversight and services provided by the authorizer to the public charter 
schools under the authorizer's purview; and 
Sec. 3.  20-A MRSA §2405, sub-§4, ¶E, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 570, §6, is 
amended to read: 
E.  The total amount of funds collected from each public charter school the authorizer 
authorized pursuant to subsection 5, paragraph B and the costs incurred by the 
authorizer to oversee each public charter school.; and 
Sec. 4.  20-A MRSA §2405, sub-§4, ¶F is enacted to read: 
F.  The total amount of funds expended by each public charter school overseen by the 
authorizer and the authorizer in support of the public charter school and the source of 
those funds, including the source of funds for the authorizer if the authorizer provides 
any funds for the public charter school. 
SUMMARY 
This bill directs an authorizer of public charter schools to report yearly to the 
Commissioner of Education the total amount of funds expended by each public charter 
school authorized by that authorizer and the source of those funds and directs the 
Department of Education to report by July 1st of each year to the Governor, the 
Legislature and the public the overall cost and source of funds for all public charter 
schools in the State and the overall cost and source of funds for each public charter 
school.