An Act to Increase the Membership of the State Board of Education and Review the Board's Responsibilities, Functions and Staffing
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 1018
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: BRENNAN, PIERCE, DODGE, MASTRACCIO, MEYER, MILLETT, SARGENT, SHAGOURY, RAFFERTY
Amends: 20-A MRSA §401

Legislative Document
No. 1018
H.P. 654
House of Representatives, March 7, 2023
An Act to Increase the Membership of the State Board of Education 
and Review the Board's Responsibilities, Functions and Staffing
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative BRENNAN of Portland.
Cosponsored by Senator PIERCE of Cumberland and
Representatives: DODGE of Belfast, MASTRACCIO of Sanford, MEYER of Eliot, MILLETT 
of Cape Elizabeth, SARGENT of York, SHAGOURY of Hallowell, Senator: RAFFERTY of 
York.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §401, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2013, c. 15, §1, is further 
amended to read:
1.  Appointment.  The state board consists of 9 10 members, including one member 
pursuant to subsection 1-D, and, beginning in the 2007-2008 school year, 2 nonvoting 
student members, one junior and one senior in high school.  All Except for the member 
pursuant to subsection 1-D, all members are appointed by the Governor.  Four members 
must reside in the State's First Congressional District at the time of appointment, 4 members 
must reside in the State's Second Congressional District at the time of appointment and one 
member may reside in either the First Congressional District or the Second Congressional 
District at the time of appointment.  One of the student members must attend school in the 
State's First Congressional District at the time of appointment and the other student member 
must attend school in the State's Second Congressional District at the time of appointment.  
Each appointment is subject to review by the joint standing committee of the Legislature 
having jurisdiction over education matters and to confirmation by the Senate.
Sec. 2.  20-A MRSA §401, sub-§1-D is enacted to read:
1-D.  Maine Teacher of the Year member.  One member of the state board must be 
a current or former recipient of the department's Maine Teacher of the Year award who is 
nominated and appointed by the state board to serve, notwithstanding subsection 4, a 3-
year term.
Sec. 3. Working group to review State Board of Education. The Department 
of Education shall establish a working group of stakeholders and other interested parties to 
review the responsibilities, functions and staffing of the State Board of Education, as 
established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 12004-C, subsection 1.  The 
department shall report to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs 
on the findings of the working group by January 15, 2024. 
SUMMARY
This bill adds one member to the State Board of Education, who must be a current or 
former recipient of the Department of Education's Maine Teacher of the Year award who 
is nominated and appointed by the state board and serves for a 3-year term.
It directs the Department of Education to establish a working group of stakeholders and 
other interested parties to review the responsibilities, functions and staffing of the State 
Board of Education.  The department is directed to report to the Joint Standing Committee 
on Education and Cultural Affairs on the findings of the working group by January 15, 
2024.