An Act To Increase Funding for Career and Technical Education Programs (AFTER DEADLINE)
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 1606
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: DILL, STANLEY, DIAMOND, GRATWICK
Amends: 20-A MRSA §15688-A

Legislative Document
No. 1606
S.P. 512
In Senate, April 23, 2019
An Act To Increase Funding for Career and Technical Education 
Programs
(AFTER DEADLINE)
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
205.
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator DILL of Penobscot.
Cosponsored by Representative STANLEY of Medway and
Senators: DIAMOND of Cumberland, GRATWICK of Penobscot.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §15688-A, sub-§1, as repealed and replaced by PL 2017, c. 
420, §8, is amended to read:
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 but may not exceed one 
full-time equivalent;
(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 based on:
(a)  The most recent available career and technical education expenditures 
amount, adjusted for inflation to the year prior to the allocation year; and
(b)  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)  Career and technical education center or career and technical education 
region student services coordinators, 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 each program or plan approved pursuant to chapter 313 that has 3 years 
of attending student counts on October 1st, student enrollment is a 3-year average 
of the attending student counts on October 1st for that program or plan.
(2)  For each program or plan approved pursuant to chapter 313 that is not 
governed by subparagraph (1), including a new program or plan approved 
pursuant to chapter 313, 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 attending 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 is the sum of the components in paragraphs A to E, except if the sum of 
the components in paragraphs A to E is less than the most recent expenditure data, as 
adjusted for inflation to the year prior to the allocation year, the career and technical 
education center or career and technical education region may not receive less than the 
adjusted expenditure, and if the sum of the components in paragraphs A to E is more than 
5% greater than the most recent expenditure data, as adjusted for inflation to the year 
prior to the allocation year, then the career and technical education center or career and 
technical education region may not receive 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 total allocation.  Payments for satellite programs as approved pursuant to chapter 
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. 2.  Appropriations and allocations.  The following appropriations and 
allocations are made.
EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF 
General Purpose Aid for Local Schools 0308
Initiative: Provides ongoing funds for career and technical education costs pursuant to the 
Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 15688-A, subsection 1.
Sec. 3.  Effective date.  That section of this Act that amends the Maine Revised 
Statutes, Title 20-A, section 15688-A, subsection 1 takes effect January 1, 2020.
SUMMARY
This bill provides an additional $1,500,000 per year for the cost of career and 
technical education pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 15688-A, 
subsection 1.
This bill also removes the so-called hold harmless provision that limits the amount of 
any decrease or increase in the total allocation for a career and technical education center 
or career and technical education region, effective January 1, 2020.
GENERAL FUND
2019-20
2020-21
All Other
$1,500,000
$1,500,000
GENERAL FUND TOTAL
$1,500,000
$1,500,000