LD 1303
pg. 1
LD 1303 Title Page An Act To Provide for Full State Funding for Special Education Costs Page 2 of 2
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LR 106
Item 1

 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

 
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §15603, sub-§26-A, ¶F, as amended by PL 1999, c.
401, Pt. GG, §2, is further amended to read:

 
F. If for any fiscal year the total amount appropriated
for the State's share of the total allocation is less than
the amount specified in the certified funding level for
that year, then all subsidizable costs except as noted in
subparagraphs (1) and, (2) and (3) are reduced by a
percentage of the original cost amounts. The reduction
percentage is the smallest percentage that results in a
state share of the total allocation that does not exceed
the amount appropriated for this purpose, except that the
reduction percentage that would ordinarily be used for
operating and program costs must be reduced for the
purpose of computing state subsidy for transportation
operating costs as defined in subsection 29. Until fiscal
year 2000-01, the reduction percentage ordinarily used for
transportation operating costs must be reduced by the
amount necessary to provide additional state subsidy equal
to $4,500,000 for this category of costs. The statewide
adjustment factor under section 15654, subsection 1,
paragraph B must be adjusted by an amount sufficient to
provide this additional funding for program costs.
Beginning in fiscal year 1999-00, the reduction percentage
must be phased out over 4 years. In fiscal year 1999-00,
the reduction percentage for program costs other than
transportation operating costs must be 15.88%. It is the
intent of the Legislature that the reduction percentage
for all program costs and the insured value factor be
lowered to 9.97% in fiscal year 2000-01, to 4.98% in
fiscal year 2001-02 and to 0% in fiscal year 2002-03.
Beginning in fiscal year 2000-01, if the appropriation and
any increase in the mill rate determined by the
Legislature to be needed under section 15653 are not
sufficient to achieve both the targeted reduction
percentage and the targeted per pupil guarantee, as
defined in section 15653, then the per pupil guarantee
must advance toward the targeted per pupil guarantee in
the same proportion as the reduction percentage, as
defined in this section, is lowered toward the targeted
reduction percentage. The following subsidizable costs
may not be reduced:

 
(1) Principal and interest on approved school
construction costs; and

 
(2) Approved lease costs.; and

 
(3)__Special education costs as defined in subsection
22.


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