An Act To Amend Career and Technical Education Statutes
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 1843
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: LANGLEY, TUELL, DAVIS, DIAMOND, DOW, KATZ, MAKER, LOCKMAN, MASTRACCIO, SIROCKI
Amends: 20-A MRSA §5809, 20-A MRSA §8403-A, 20-A MRSA §15681-A, 20-A MRSA §15688-A

Legislative Document
No. 1843
S.P. 696
In Senate, February 22, 2018
An Act To Amend Career and Technical Education Statutes
Submitted by the Department of Education pursuant to Joint Rule 203.
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed.
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator LANGLEY of Hancock.
Cosponsored by Representative TUELL of East Machias and
Senators: DAVIS of Piscataquis, DIAMOND of Cumberland, DOW of Lincoln, KATZ of 
Kennebec, MAKER of Washington, Representatives: LOCKMAN of Amherst, 
MASTRACCIO of Sanford, SIROCKI of Scarborough.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §5809, as amended by PL 2003, c. 477, §5 and c. 545, §§5 
and 6, is further amended to read:
§5809.  Students enrolled in career and technical educational programs
Schools receiving tuition students who are enrolled in regular school day career and 
technical educational programs at career and technical education centers, satellites or 
career and technical education regions, under chapter 313, may charge a tuition rate up to 
2/3 of the maximum tuition rate as computed under sections section 5805 or 5806.  The 
career and technical education center, satellite or region may charge a tuition rate of up to 
1/3 of the maximum tuition rate as computed under section 5805 or 5806 for the student.
Sec. 2.  20-A MRSA §8403-A, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2011, c. 679, §13, is 
further amended to read:
2.  Procedure for authorizing career and technical education satellite programs.  
Any affiliated unit that wishes to operate a career and technical education satellite 
program shall submit a written request to operate such a satellite program to the 
governing body of the center or region with which the unit is affiliated.  The request must 
fully document the perceived need for the operation of a satellite program.  The 
governing body of the center or region with which the unit is affiliated shall consider the 
request and forward its recommendation to the commissioner concerning whether that 
request should be approved.  The commissioner shall act on the request pursuant to 
section 8306-B.
Sec. 3.  20-A MRSA §8403-A, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 1991, c. 518, §14, is 
repealed and the following enacted in its place:
3.  Financial responsibility for satellite programs.  A career and technical 
education center or region affiliated with a satellite program approved pursuant to 
subsection 2 shall provide financial support for the operating costs of that program as 
calculated pursuant to chapter 606-B and paid to the center or region affiliated with the 
program.  The center or region shall transfer the financial support received pursuant to 
this subsection to the unit that operates the approved satellite program to support the 
operating costs of that program.
Sec. 4.  20-A MRSA §8403-A, sub-§§5 and 6, as corrected by RR 2003, c. 2, 
§57, are amended to read:
5.  Employment of teachers.  The superintendent of a unit operating a satellite 
program shall, in consultation with the career and technical education director of the 
center or region with which the unit is affiliated, employ teachers for that satellite 
program in accordance with the procedures established by section 13201.
6.  Supervision.  The superintendent of a unit operating a satellite program shall, in 
consultation with the career and technical education director of the center or region with 
which the unit is affiliated, supervise personnel working for that satellite program.
Sec. 5.  20-A MRSA §15681-A, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2017, c. 284, Pt. C, 
§40, is further amended to read:
4.  Career and technical education costs.  Career and technical education costs in 
the base year adjusted to the year prior to the allocation year.  This subsection does not 
apply to the 2018-19 2019-20 funding year and thereafter; and
Sec. 6.  20-A MRSA §15681-A, sub-§4-A is enacted to read:
4-A.  Costs of plans for middle school career and technical education.  Beginning 
in fiscal year 2018-19, and in each subsequent fiscal year, costs approved pursuant to 
chapter 313 attributable to establishing and operating career and technical education 
experiences for middle school students.  The commissioner may establish an allocation to 
school administrative units for plans under this subsection.  The plans must be 
implemented within the school administrative unit; and
Sec. 7.  20-A MRSA §15688-A, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2017, c. 284, Pt. C, 
§45, is repealed and the following enacted in its place:
1.  Career and technical education program components.  Beginning in fiscal year 
2018-19, the allocation for career and technical education centers and career and 
technical education regions is based upon a model that recognizes program components 
that have been approved by the department pursuant to chapter 313 for:
A.  Direct instruction.  The direct instruction component includes personnel costs for 
teachers, education technicians for programs and clinical supervisors for health care 
programs.  The allocation for direct instruction is the sum of the costs as determined 
based on the following components, which the commissioner shall determine 
annually:
(1)  A teacher salary matrix.  In determining the teacher salary matrix for each 
program, the commissioner shall give consideration to the most recent available 
data regarding years of education experience and years of professional work 
experience relevant to instructional assignment;
(2)  Student-to-teacher ratios for each program;
(3)  The number of education technicians required for purposes of instructional 
support, based on student enrollment and program requirements.  
The 
commissioner shall calculate the education technician allocation by multiplying 
the number of education technicians required by the statewide average salary for 
full-time education technicians, based on the most recent available salary data, 
but shall ensure that each career and technical education center or career and 
technical education region is allocated at least one full-time education technician; 
and
(4)  The clinical supervision staffing level necessary for each program requiring 
such staffing, based on student enrollment as determined pursuant to paragraph 
G;
B.  Central administration.  The central administration component includes personnel 
costs for directors, assistant directors and clerical staff working in career and 
technical education centers and career and technical education regions, as well as 
business managers working in career and technical education regions.  The central 
administration allocation is the sum of:
(1)  Costs for personnel for each career and technical education center and career 
and technical education region, as follows:
(a)  A director, the allocation for which must be for one full-time equivalent;
(b)  An assistant director, the allocation for which must be based on student 
enrollment as determined pursuant to paragraph G;
(c)  Clerical staff, the allocation for which must be for at least one full-time 
equivalent, with additional clerical staff allocations based on student 
enrollment as determined pursuant to paragraph G;
(d)  A career and technical education region business manager, the allocation 
for which must be for one full-time equivalent; and
(e)  Benefit costs for employees in central administration, which must be 
calculated pursuant to section 15678, subsection 5, paragraph B; and
(2)  Nonpersonnel costs, which the commissioner shall calculate annually based 
upon the relationship of the most recent available career and technical education 
expenditures for nonpersonnel costs to personnel costs;
C.  Supplies and other expenditures such as purchased services, dues and fees for 
instructional programs.  The allocation for supplies and other expenditures is the sum 
of:
(1)  A per-program allocation for supplies, as determined by the commissioner 
based on the most recent available career and technical education expenditures 
amount, adjusted to the year prior to the allocation year; and
(2)  A per-pupil allocation for each student in each career and technical education 
center and each career and technical education region, determined by the 
commissioner by dividing the amount determined pursuant to subparagraph (1) 
by student enrollment, as determined pursuant to paragraph G;
D.  
Plant operation and maintenance, including all costs for operating and 
maintaining buildings and grounds.  The commissioner shall determine the allocation 
for plant operation and maintenance costs for each career and technical education 
center and each career and technical education region by multiplying the square 
footage of the career and technical education center or career and technical education 
region building by an amount per square foot, as determined by the commissioner;
E.  Other student and staff support, which includes costs for student services 
coordination, career preparation, instructional technology, professional development, 
student assessment and program safety.  The other student and staff support 
allocation is the sum of the costs for:
(1)  A counselor, the allocation for which must be for one full-time equivalent, to 
collaborate with sending school guidance counselors in order to maximize 
student participation at the middle school and high school grade levels;
(2)  A career and technical education center or career and technical education 
region student services coordinator, the allocation for which must be based on 
student enrollment, as determined pursuant to paragraph G, but no less than one 
full-time equivalent;
(3)  Benefit costs for employees under this paragraph, calculated pursuant to 
section 15678, subsection 5, paragraph B; and
(4)  Instructional technology, staff professional development, student assessment 
and program safety.  The commissioner shall calculate a per-pupil allocation for 
this allocation based upon student enrollment, as determined pursuant to 
paragraph G, and the relationship of the most recent available career and 
technical education expenditures for these costs to total costs, adjusted to the year 
prior to the allocation year;
F.  Equipment provided pursuant to subsection 6; and
G.  Student enrollment, which is determined as follows.
(1)  For established programs or plans, student enrollment is a 3-year average of 
the attending student counts on October 1st for each program or plan.
(2)  For new programs or plans, student enrollment must be based on the 
estimated attending student count submitted in accordance with the application 
for the program or plan approval.  This estimated student count must be used 
until the program or plan has 3 consecutive years of actual attending student 
counts on October 1st.
The total allocation for a career and technical education center or career and technical 
education region must be calculated by comparing the sum of the components in 
paragraphs A to E to the most recent expenditure data, as adjusted to the year prior to the 
allocation year.  A career and technical education center or career and technical education 
region may not receive less than the adjusted expenditures or more than the adjusted 
expenditures plus 5%.
The commissioner shall authorize monthly payment of allocations to career and technical 
education centers and career and technical education regions in an amount equal to 1/12 
of the allocation.  Payments for satellite programs as approved pursuant to chapter 313 
must be made within this schedule to the responsible career and technical education 
center or career and technical education region; it is the responsibility of the career and 
technical education center or career and technical education region to provide the state 
support for the approved satellite program to the school administrative unit that operates 
the approved satellite program.
If a school administrative unit operating a career and technical education center or career 
and technical education region has any unexpended funds at the end of the fiscal year, 
these funds must be carried forward for the purposes of career and technical education.
Sec. 8.  20-A MRSA §15688-A, sub-§8 is enacted to read:
8.  Pilot projects for middle school career and technical education.  Beginning in 
fiscal year 2018-19 and for the 2 subsequent fiscal years, the commissioner may expend 
and disburse funds to career and technical education centers and career and technical 
education regions for pilot projects for middle school level plans approved pursuant to 
chapter 313 to create career and technical education for middle school level students.  
The commissioner also may contract for services to implement pilot projects for middle 
school level plans.  A middle school level plan must demonstrate to the commissioner a 
partnership between a school administrative unit and a career and technical education 
center or career and technical education region.
SUMMARY
This bill amends the current calculation of state subsidy for career and technical 
education from an expenditure-driven model to a cost model to recognize current costs of 
direct instruction, operation of facilities and student and administrative support.  The bill 
also changes the subsidy payment for satellite programs and career and technical 
education regions and establishes funding provisions for the operation of career and 
technical education middle school programs through authorization of pilot programs.