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be based on prior-year adjusted rates.__In order to calculate | | adjusted rates, a predicted transportation cost for each school | | district based on district pupil transportation densities and the | | most recent fiscal year transportation expenditures available must | | be established.__Predicted costs and actual expenditures per pupil | | must be increased 10% to yield an adjusted predicted cost rate and | | an adjusted expenditure rate per pupil.__The essential programs and | | services transportation operating cost per pupil beginning fiscal | | year 2005-06 is an amount equal to a school district's adjusted | | cost or adjusted expenditure per pupil rate, whichever is lower. |
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| | | A.__In no case may the essential programs and services | | transportation operating cost per pupil be less than 75% of | | the allocation for the previous year for fiscal years 2005- | | 06 and 2006-07.__Beginning in fiscal year 2006-07, | | individual school district essential programs and services | | transportation operating costs must be based on previous | | year's adjusted rates, plus an inflation adjustment. |
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| | | B.__Beginning in fiscal year 2005-06, an appeals process to | | determine exceptions to the adjusted rates must be | | implemented.__All appeals must include an analysis of cost | | efficiency and a cost comparison with school districts | | having comparable pupil transportation density indices. |
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| | | Sec. 13. 20-A MRSA §15684, sub-§3 is enacted to read: |
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| | | 3.__Repeal.__This section is repealed July 1, 2005. |
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| | | Sec. 14. 20-A MRSA §15686, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 504, Pt. A, §6, | | is amended to read: |
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| | | §15686. Transition adjustment |
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| | | For each of the fiscal years described in section 15671, | | subsection 7, the commissioner shall establish a transition | | adjustment calculated to minimize the adverse fiscal impact | directly related to | | municipalities as a result of the phase-in of this Act. The | | transition adjustment for a municipality must be directly related | | to the phase-in of essential programs and services and the local | | cost share expectation method under section 15671-A of | | determining the local contribution to the cost of funding | | essential programs and services. The amount of this adjustment | | must decline with each successive fiscal year, and the | | adjustments must end no later than fiscal year 2009-10. |
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| | | Sec. 15. 20-A MRSA §§15688 and 15689 are enacted to read: |
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