An Act to Give the Governing Board of a Municipality Input into the Budget Developed by a School Board
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 1300
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: CAMPBELL, LYFORD, NUTTING, SAMPSON, THORNE
Amends: 20-A MRSA §1485, 20-A MRSA §1486, 20-A MRSA §15693

Legislative Document
No. 1300
H.P. 825
House of Representatives, March 23, 2023
An Act to Give the Governing Board of a Municipality Input into 
the Budget Developed by a School Board
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative CAMPBELL of Orrington.
Cosponsored by Senator LYFORD of Penobscot and
Representatives: NUTTING of Oakland, SAMPSON of Alfred, THORNE of Carmel.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §1485, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. XXXX, 
§13, is amended to read:
3.  Budget approval.  A regional school unit's cost center summary budget must be 
approved at a regional school unit budget meeting, at a municipal approval meeting 
specified in section 15693, subsection 9 and by a budget validation referendum as provided 
in section 1486.
Sec. 2.  20-A MRSA §1486, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2011, c. 171, §3, is further 
amended to read:
1.  Budget validation.  Following development of the annual regional school unit 
budget and approval at a regional school unit budget meeting and a municipal approval 
meeting as provided in section 1485, a referendum must be held in the regional school unit 
as provided in this section to allow the voters to validate or reject the total budget adopted 
at the regional school unit budget meeting and municipal approval meeting.
Every 3 years, the voters in a regional school unit shall consider continued use of the budget 
validation referendum process.  The warrant at the budget validation referendum in the 3rd 
year following adoption or continuation of the referendum process must include an article 
by which the voters of the school administrative unit may indicate whether they wish to 
continue the process for another 3 years.  The warrant for the referendum to validate the 
fiscal year 2010-11 budget is deemed the 3rd-year warrant.  A vote to continue retains the 
process for 3 additional years.  A vote to discontinue the process ends its use beginning 
with the following budget year and prohibits its reconsideration for at least 3 years.
An article to consider reinstatement of the budget validation referendum process may be 
placed on a warrant for a referendum vote by either a majority vote of the regional school 
unit board or a written petition filed with the regional school unit board by at least 10% of 
the number of voters voting in the last gubernatorial election in the municipalities in the 
school administrative unit.  The regional school unit board shall place the article on the 
next scheduled warrant or an earlier one if determined appropriate by the regional school 
unit board.  If adopted by the voters, the budget validation referendum process takes effect 
beginning in the next budget year or the following budget year if the adoption occurs less 
than 90 days before the start of the next budget year.  Once approved by the voters, the 
budget validation referendum process may not be changed for 3 years.
Sec. 3.  20-A MRSA §15693, sub-§9 is enacted to read:
9.  Approval of budget by municipality.  Notwithstanding any municipal charter 
provision, ordinance or other law to the contrary, the school budget of a school 
administrative district, community school district or regional school unit must be approved 
in accordance with this subsection prior to being submitted to a budget validation 
referendum under section 1486. Following the approval of a budget at a regional school 
unit meeting in accordance with section 1485, subsection 3, the school board shall call a 
joint meeting with the municipal officers of each member municipality to review and vote 
on the proposed budget. The municipal officers may propose amendments to the proposed 
budget. A school budget must be approved by a majority vote of all members of the school 
board and municipal officers present and voting at the joint meeting.
SUMMARY
This bill provides that a school budget must be jointly approved by the municipal 
officers of each municipality that is a part of that school district prior to being submitted to 
the voters for approval.