An Act To Prevent Economic Hardship in Maine School Administrative District 44
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 1080
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: HEAD, KINNEY, MADIGAN, MAREAN, ORDWAY

Legislative Document
No. 1080
H.P. 758
House of Representatives, March 21, 2017
An Act To Prevent Economic Hardship in Maine School 
Administrative District 44
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative HEAD of Bethel.
Cosponsored by Representatives: KINNEY of Limington, MADIGAN of Rumford, MAREAN 
of Hollis, ORDWAY of Standish.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  Legislative findings.  
1. The Legislature finds that the Town of Newry, which is home to one of the premier 
ski resorts in the State, is a member of Maine School Administrative District 44 and, 
because of the specific situation presented by the existence of the ski resort, the requisite 
regional workforce and the relative taxable property value in Maine School 
Administrative District 44, together with the importance of public funding of education, 
Maine School Administrative District 44 is specifically exempted from the standard 
municipal cost-sharing formula in determining the local cost of education to member 
municipalities, pursuant to Public Law 2005, chapter 2, Part D, section 69. 
2. The Legislature acknowledges that the only other school district that is specifically 
exempted by that provision of law from the standard municipal cost-sharing formula is 
Maine School Administrative District 6, of which the Town of Frye Island is a member, 
and that, in order to prevent economic hardship within the towns composing Maine 
School Administrative District 6, the Town of Frye Island is required by law to remain a 
member of Maine School Administrative District 6 and continue to pay its proportional 
share of costs of education in accordance with Private and Special Law 1997, chapter 41, 
Part A, section 8, as amended by Private and Special Law 2001, chapter 8, section 1.  
3. The Legislature finds that a committee composed of members of the towns within 
Maine School Administrative District 44 presented to the voters in Maine School 
Administrative District 44 in November 2016 a proposal to amend the cost-sharing 
formula used to fund education and that proposal failed at referendum. 
4. The Legislature finds that the Town of Newry has expressed the goal of 
withdrawing from Maine School Administrative District 44 and tuitioning its students 
back to that same school district at an increased expense to neighboring towns. 
5. The Legislature finds that the withdrawal of the Town of Newry from Maine 
School Administrative District 44 would impose an unsustainable economic hardship 
upon the residents of the remaining towns within Maine School Administrative District 
through significant shifting of the property tax burden to a more localized valuation 
base, and the Legislature therefore finds that it is in the greater public interest that the 
Town of Newry continue to remain a member of Maine School Administrative District 44 
and continue to pay its proportional share of costs of education. 
6. Because the advantages of education are essential to the preservation of the rights 
and liberties of the people, it is the duty of the Legislature under the Constitution of 
Maine, Article 8, Part First, Section 1 to require towns to provide for the support and 
maintenance of public schools. 
Sec. 2.  Prohibition on withdrawal from school administrative district.  
Notwithstanding any withdrawal proceedings initiated or completed pursuant to the 
Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, former section 1405, Title 20-A, section 1466 or any 
other provision of law to the contrary, the Town of Newry is part of and may not 
withdraw from Maine School Administrative District 44 and shall pay its proportional 
share of costs as required in Public Law 2005, chapter 2, Part D, section 69. 
SUMMARY 
This bill maintains the existing ad valorem cost-sharing agreement of the members of 
Maine School Administrative District 44 by requiring the Town of Newry to remain a 
member of that district.  The bill expresses the Legislature's findings that the Constitution 
of Maine requires municipalities to support public schools, that there exists established 
precedent for prohibiting the withdrawal of a municipality from a school district and that 
the residents of the school district have considered and rejected an amendment to the 
cost-sharing formula used to fund education and have expressed objection to the use of 
the withdrawal process for the purpose of tuitioning students back to the same school 
district at increased expense of neighboring towns.