An Act To Establish Regional School Leadership Academies
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 0507
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: LANGLEY, KORNFIELD, MAKER, FULLER, GINZLER, PIERCE
Amends: 20-A MRSA §2601, 20-A MRSA §2651, 20-A MRSA §15688-A

Legislative Document
No. 507
S.P. 168
In Senate, February 9, 2017
An Act To Establish Regional School Leadership Academies
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 KORNFIELD of Bangor and
Senator: MAKER of Washington, Representatives: FULLER of Lewiston, GINZLER of 
Bridgton, McCREA of Fort Fairfield, PIERCE of Falmouth.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §2601, sub-§2, ¶B, as amended by PL 2015, c. 251, §1, is 
further amended to read: 
B.  Agreements for shared staff or staff training, including collaborative programs 
and support services for preservice and in-service staff training; 
Sec. 2.  20-A MRSA §2651, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2015, c. 251, §4, is 
further amended to read: 
2.  Use of fund.  The department shall award grants from the fund to school 
administrative units, municipalities, counties and groups of 2 or more such entities, 
including such groups that have entered into a collaborative agreement pursuant to 
chapter 114, to fund the costs of implementing changes in governance, administrative 
structures or policies that result in the creation of consolidated school administrative 
units; purchasing alliances; innovative, autonomous public schools, teacher-led schools, 
innovative public school districts or innovative public school zones; regional delivery of 
collaborative programs and educational services; regional school leadership academies; 
or collaborations of municipal-school service delivery or support systems, with the 
purpose of improving educational opportunity and student achievement.  Grants must be 
used to implement changes that will be sustained by the school administrative unit, 
municipality or county without the need for additional grants from the fund or other 
sources. 
Sec. 3.  20-A MRSA c. 502-C is enacted to read: 
CHAPTER 502-C 
REGIONAL SCHOOL LEADERSHIP ACADEMIES 
§13111.  Definitions 
As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms 
have the following meanings. 
1.  Collaborative agreement.  "Collaborative agreement" means an agreement as 
defined in section 2601, subsection 2, paragraph B between 2 or more school 
administrative units to form a collaborative partnership that specifies each school 
administrative unit's responsibility for and cost of the delivery of certain administrative, 
instructional and noninstructional functions, including collaborative programs and 
support services, for preservice and in-service staff training for school principalship and 
other school leadership positions over a 3-year period. 
2.  Collaborative board.  "Collaborative board" means a board created pursuant to 
section 13112, subsection 2.  A collaborative board is composed of one representative 
from each of the: 
A.  School administrative units participating in the collaborative partnership; 
B.  Statewide education associations cooperating with the collaborative partnership; 
and 
C.  Educator preparation programs cooperating with the collaborative partnership. 
3.  Collaborative partnership.  "Collaborative partnership" means a regional school 
leadership academy collaborative partnership formed pursuant to this chapter between 2 
or more school administrative units and, whenever possible, with educator preparation 
programs and statewide education associations that provides cohort-based professional 
development and career pathways, including preservice training for prospective 
candidates for school principalship and other school leadership positions and in-service 
training for new employees in school principalship and other school leadership positions. 
4.  Educator preparation program.  "Educator preparation program" means an 
educator preparation program as defined in section 13008, subsection 1, paragraph A. 
5.  Regional school leadership academy.  "Regional school leadership academy" or 
"academy" means a professional development consortium formed by a collaborative 
partnership that combines state and local programs and resources, including the 
preparation, licensure, certification, professional development and training for 
educational leadership, into a coherent system that can significantly improve the 
recruitment and preparation of prospective candidates for school principalship and other 
school leadership positions, as well as the induction, mentoring and retention of 
principals and school leaders during the first 2 years of employment in their school 
leadership positions. 
6.  Statewide education association.  "Statewide education association" means a 
nonprofit education association or corporation in the State, including a principals' 
association, a school superintendents' association, a school boards' association and an 
association of administrators of services for children with disabilities. 
§13112.  Establishment 
Beginning July 1, 2018, a regional school leadership academy may be established 
under a collaborative agreement. 
1.  Regional school leadership academy mission.  The mission of an academy is to 
enhance the quality of the preservice and in-service staff training programs for school 
principalship and other school leadership positions, to improve the distribution, supply 
and quality of school leadership personnel in underserved school administrative units in 
the State and to develop appropriate professional development pathways at participating 
schools in the academy.  To fulfill its mission, the academy shall work in coordination 
with educational leadership mentors and coaches and with high-performing educational 
leaders employed within the collaborative partnership. 
2.  Development of collaborative agreements; establishment of collaborative 
board.  School administrative units may work in cooperation with educator preparation 
programs and statewide education associations to design a plan for a collaborative 
agreement that achieves efficiencies and reduces costs in the delivery of programs and 
support services for preservice and in-service staff training for educators, principals and 
other school leaders.  School administrative units that work in cooperation with educator 
preparation programs and statewide education associations to design a plan for a 
collaborative agreement shall establish a collaborative board.  A collaborative board is 
the governing body of a regional school leadership academy.  The plan for the 
collaborative agreement must be consistent with the following goals: 
A.  Improving student learning and development by providing preparation, training 
and support for educators, principals and other school leaders that enable students in 
their schools to graduate ready for college and careers; 
B.  Identifying and recruiting prospective candidates for school principalship and 
school leadership positions; 
C.  Improving recruitment strategies, including contracting with a marketing or 
branding firm to build recruitment strategies that coach school administrators how to 
make effective proposals to prospective candidates that would entice them to consider 
becoming a principal or school leader; 
D.  Establishing and maintaining long-term partnerships with school administrative 
units in the region that create and maintain a skilled and adaptable principalship and 
school leadership preparation program; 
E.  Enhancing the recruitment, preservice training, education and preparation 
opportunities for educators in this State to allow them to prepare for future principal 
and school leadership positions in schools in the State; 
F.  Providing educators in this State who seek to upgrade their education, skills and 
credentials in order to facilitate their career advancement and enhance their job 
security; 
G.  Establishing, at a minimum, 2 years of programming to support the 
implementation of school leadership induction and mentoring programs that promote 
excellence in school leadership, improve classroom instruction, enhance student 
achievement, build a supportive environment within school administrative units, 
increase the retention of promising school leaders and promote the personal and 
professional well-being of school leaders; 
H.  Creating and promoting a selection process for mentors that enhances the support 
for beginning principals and other school leaders; and 
I.  Creating a budget to provide resources for the academy's programs, collaborative 
organizational structures and program evaluation and a plan for the academy's 
sustainability. 
3.  Approval.  The collaborative agreement plan under subsection 2 must be 
approved by the collaborative board before the collaborative agreement becomes 
effective. 
4.  State assistance.  The department and the state board may provide the following 
services and resources to assist school administrative units that form a regional school 
leadership academy: 
A.  Guidance to help school administrative units create the supports and conditions to 
promote professional development of their own leadership; 
B.  Facilitation of partnerships between state education policy officials from the 
department and the state board and education leadership professionals, educator 
preparation programs and statewide education associations to enhance the promotion 
of collaborative partnerships; and 
C.  Assistance and resources to regional school leadership academies to encourage 
teachers and educators to become candidates for school leadership positions; to 
provide pathways for aspiring candidates to explore, study, practice and take on 
leadership roles in their schools; and to employ mentors and coaches to provide 
training for newly hired school principals and school leaders that improves their 
awareness of standards-based instruction and learning and develops their leadership 
skills.  Beginning in fiscal year 2018-19, the department shall consider providing the 
following resources: 
(1)  Awarding state grant funds from the Fund for the Efficient Delivery of 
Educational Services pursuant to chapter 114-A for academies that apply and 
qualify for such grants; and 
(2)  Allocating state funding pursuant to section 15688-A, subsection 8 to school 
administrative units that form a regional school leadership academy. 
5.  Gifts, grants and donations.  School administrative units that enter into a 
collaborative agreement to form a regional school leadership academy may seek and 
accept public and private gifts, grants and donations to offset the costs of developing and 
implementing the plan for the regional school leadership academy.  A gift, grant or 
donation received pursuant to this subsection must be approved prior to the receipt of the 
gift, grant or donation by the school boards for the school administrative units that enter 
into the collaborative agreement. 
§13113.  Report 
A regional school leadership academy shall provide to the joint standing committee 
of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education matters an annual report that 
includes information regarding the regional school leadership academy, including the 
name and location of the academy; the number of educators trained, mentored and 
coached; the dollar amount expended; and, if applicable, the number of educators who 
were employed as school leaders. 
Sec. 4.  20-A MRSA §15688-A, sub-§8 is enacted to read: 
8.  Regional school leadership academy.  Beginning in fiscal year 2018-19, the 
commissioner may expend and disburse funds to support the establishment of regional 
school leadership academies pursuant to chapter 502-C. 
SUMMARY 
This bill allows school administrative units to enter into collaborative agreements to 
establish regional school leadership academies that combine state and local programs and 
resources, including the preparation, licensure, certification, professional development 
and training for educational leadership, into a coherent system that can significantly 
improve the recruitment and preparation of prospective candidates for school 
principalship and other school leadership positions, as well as the induction, mentoring 
and retention of principals and school leaders during the first 2 years of employment in 
their school leadership positions.