An Act to Abolish School Budget Referenda
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1579
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: ABDI
Amends: 20-A MRSA §1305-C, 20-A MRSA §1461-B, 20-A MRSA §1478, 20-A MRSA §1485, 20-A MRSA §1486, 20-A MRSA §1487, 20-A MRSA §1488, 20-A MRSA §1701-C

Legislative Document
No. 1579
H.P. 1037
House of Representatives, April 10, 2025
An Act to Abolish School Budget Referenda
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative ABDI of Lewiston.
Cosponsored by Representatives: CLOUTIER of Lewiston, LAJOIE of Lewiston, MCCABE 
of Lewiston, MURPHY of Scarborough, SALISBURY of Westbrook.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §1305-C, as amended by PL 2007, c. 668, §2 and affected by 
§55, is further amended to read:
§1305-C.  Mandatory budget validation and cost center summary budget form
Notwithstanding any other law, school administrative district budgets developed after 
January 1, 2008 must conform to the format and referendum procedures for regional school 
units as set forth in sections section 1485 and 1486.  A school administrative district is 
deemed to be a regional school unit solely for the purpose of developing a budget pursuant 
to sections section 1485 and 1486.
Sec. 2.  20-A MRSA §1461-B, sub-§3, ¶C, as amended by PL 2011, c. 485, §1, is 
further amended to read:
C.  The budget procedures of member entities of an alternative organizational structure 
must conform to the format and referendum procedures set forth in sections section 
1485 and 1486 for regional school units.  The budget of the alternative organizational 
structure must be approved at a meeting of the voters of all of the member entities 
conducted in accordance with the procedures applicable to a regional school unit 
budget meeting except as provided in paragraph D.  The budget of an alternative 
organizational structure is not subject to a separate budget validation referendum as 
described in section 1486.
Sec. 3.  20-A MRSA §1478, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 668, §10, is amended 
to read:
3.  Budget responsibility.  A reorganization plan that has been approved in accordance 
with subchapter 2 or a regional school unit board may authorize a local school committee 
to present to the board a proposed budget for the local school in a form that is consistent 
with section 1485.  The proposed local school budget must be submitted in time to be 
included in the budget for the regional school unit.  Proposed expenditures that are not 
included in the regional school unit budget may be separately appropriated by the 
municipality to be expended by the regional school unit in accordance with the 
appropriation.  Supplemental municipal appropriations for education are not subject to 
section 1486.
Sec. 4.  20-A MRSA §1485, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. XXXX, 
§13, is amended to read:
2.  Budget warrant.  The warrant articles presented to the legislative body of the 
regional school unit for approval of the regional school unit budget must correspond to the 
categories of the cost center summary budget described in subsection 1. In addition to 
expenditure and revenue cost center summary totals, the regional school unit board shall 
provide to voters a reasonably detailed breakdown for each major subcategory within each 
budget category. The department shall adopt routine technical rules pursuant to Title 5, 
chapter 375, subchapter 2‑A defining and establishing the content of those informational 
subcategories.
Sec. 5.  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 and by a budget validation referendum 
as provided in section 1486.
Sec. 6.  20-A MRSA §1485, sub-§4, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. XXXX, 
§13, is amended to read:
4.  Transfer between budget cost center lines.  During the year for which the budget 
is approved using the cost center summary budget format, the regional school unit board 
may transfer an amount not exceeding 5% of the total appropriation for any cost center to 
another cost center or among other cost centers without voter approval.
Sec. 7.  20-A MRSA §1485, sub-§5, as enacted by PL 2015, c. 463, §1, is amended 
to read:
5.  Additional state subsidy.  The warrant presented to the legislative body of the 
regional school unit at a regional school unit budget meeting may include an article or 
articles providing that, in the event that the regional school unit receives more state 
education subsidy than the amount included in its budget, the regional school unit board is 
authorized to use all or part of the additional subsidy to:
A.  Increase expenditures for school purposes in cost center categories approved by the 
regional school unit board.  If that article is approved by the voters at the budget 
meeting, the regional school unit board may increase expenditures for school purposes 
in cost center categories approved by the regional school unit board as provided in the 
article, without holding a special budget meeting and budget validation referendum;
B.  Increase the allocation of finances in a reserve fund. If that article is approved by 
the voters at the budget meeting, the regional school unit board may increase the 
allocation of finances for a reserve fund approved by the regional school unit board as 
provided in the article, without holding a special budget meeting and budget validation 
referendum; or
C.  Decrease the local cost share expectation, as defined in section 15671‑A, subsection 
1, paragraph B, for local property taxpayers for funding public education. If that article 
is approved by the voters at the budget meeting, the regional school unit board may 
decrease the local cost share expectation for local property taxpayers approved by the 
regional school unit board as provided in the article, without holding a special budget 
meeting and budget validation referendum.
Sec. 8.  20-A MRSA §1486, as amended by PL 2023, c. 256, §1, is repealed.
Sec. 9.  20-A MRSA §1487, first ¶, as amended by PL 2007, c. 668, §21, is further 
amended to read:
If a budget for the operation of a regional school unit is not approved prior to July 1st, 
the latest budget approved at a regional school unit budget meeting and submitted to the 
voters for validation at a referendum in accordance with section 1486 is automatically 
considered the budget for operational expenses for the ensuing year until a final budget is 
approved, except that, when the regional school unit board delays the regional school unit 
budget meeting, the operating budget must be approved within 30 days of the date the 
commissioner notifies the regional school unit board of the amount allocated to the regional 
school unit under section 15689‑B, or the latest budget submitted by the regional school 
unit board becomes the operating budget for the next school year until a budget is approved 
at a regional school unit budget meeting and validated at a referendum. If the budget of a 
regional school unit is not approved and validated before July 1st and the officers of any 
affected municipality determine that the property taxes must be committed in a timely 
manner to the collector pursuant to Title 36, section 709, the municipal assessor or assessors 
may commit the property taxes on the basis of the latest budget approved at a regional 
school unit budget meeting and submitted to the voters for validation at a referendum in 
accordance with section 1486.
Sec. 10.  20-A MRSA §1488, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. XXXX, §13, is 
amended to read:
§1488.  Special budget meeting
The regional school unit board may call a special budget meeting when it declares that 
an emergency exists. The voters of the regional school unit may authorize the regional 
school unit board at a special regional school unit budget meeting to expend additional 
funds from the regional school unit's undesignated fund balance or to pledge the credit of 
the regional school unit to obtain additional money for the operation of schools. A special 
budget meeting held on or after July 1, 2008 must be conducted in accordance with sections 
section 1485 and 1486.
Sec. 11.  20-A MRSA §1701-C, as amended by PL 2007, c. 668, §26 and affected 
by §55, is further amended to read:
§1701-C.  Mandatory budget validation and cost center summary budget form
Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, community school district 
budgets developed after January 1, 2008 must conform to the format and referendum 
procedures for regional school units as set forth in sections section 1485 and 1486.  A 
community school district is deemed to be a regional school unit solely for the purpose of 
developing a budget pursuant to sections section 1485 and 1486.
SUMMARY
This bill eliminates the requirement for the voters to validate a regional school unit 
budget at a referendum.