An Act To
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 0481
Committee Amendment CA_A_H437 (House)

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ./1" to H.P. 331, L.D. 481, Bill, "An Act To 
Amend the Laws Governing Virtual Public Charter Schools" 
Amend the bill in section 1 in subsection 2 in paragraph B in the last 2 lines (page 1, 
lines 13 and 14 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "who operate the virtual public 
charter school must hold valid teacher certification in this State" and inserting the 
following: " including full~tirne and part-time teachers, who operate the virtual public 
charter school must be properly certified in accordance with certification rules adopted 
pursuant to chapter 502 and must hold valid certification in this State in accordance with 
section 2412, subsection 6, paragraph B' 
Amend the bill by inserting after section 1 the following: 
'Sec. 2. 20-A MRS A §2412, sub-§6, ~, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 414, §5, is 
amended to read: 
B. All full-time and part-time teachers in a public charter school must either hold an 
appropriate teaching certificate or become certified within 3 years of the date they are 
hired, except for those with an advanced degree, professional certification or unique 
expertise or experience in the curricular area in which they teach.' 
Amend the bill by inserting after section 2 the following: 
'Sec. 3. Per-pupil allocation for students enrolled in virtual public charter 
schools. The Department of Education, in consultation with the Maine Charter School 
Commission, shall review the funding provisions established in the Maine Revised 
Statutes, Title 20-A, section 2413 related to determining the per-pupil allocation amount 
necessary for the costs of operating virtual public charter schools and validating the 
appropriate amount of funding for operating costs that should be provided for students 
enrolled in virtual public charter schools. The Commissioner of Education shall submit a 
report, including findings and recommendations, on the review of the operating costs and 
appropriate per-pupil funding amount for students enrolled in virtual public charter 
schools to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs by January 
Page I - 126LR0406(02)-1 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
\\01 S 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" ~, to H.P. 331, L.D. 481 
10, 2014. The joint standing committee may report out a bill to the Second Regular 
Session of the 126th Legislature.' 
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or 
section number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment, which is the majority report of the committee, amends the bill to 
provide that part-time teachers must also meet the teacher employment provisions of the 
public charter school law. The amendment also directs the Department of Education, in 
consultation with the Maine Charter School Commission, to review funding provisions 
related to determining the per-pupil allocation amount necessary for the costs of operating 
virtual public charter schools and validating the appropriate amount of operating costs 
that should be provided for students enrolled in virtual public charter schools and report 
the results of its review to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural 
Affairs, which is authorized to report out a bill to the Second Regular Session of the 
I 26th Legislature. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 06/04/13 hac 
LD481 
LR 406(02) 
An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Virtual Public Charter Schools 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment .~ l~ -437\ 
Committee:: Education and Cultural Affairs 
!) 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Current biennium cost increase - General Fund 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Limiting the per-pupil allocation that follows a student to a virtual public charter school to 20% will not change the 
total cost of K-12 public education or the State'.) share of that cost. 
The Department of Education and the Maine Charter School Commission may need to contract with an outside entity 
to conduct the required review in order to detennine the appropriate amount of per-pupil allocation that should be 
provided for students enrolled in virtual charter schools. According to the Department of Education, outside resources 
may be needed because neither the department nor the commission has the capacity, in staff resources or expertise, to 
gather and analyze the data necessary to make the required recommendations. The cost to the department and its 
ability to absorb those costs without impacting other programs and services can not be determined at this time. 
LR0406(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1