An Act To Enhance the Choices for Children and Parents from Areas without Public Secondary Schools
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §2951, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 1981, c. 693, §§5 and 8, is repealed.
Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §5204, sub-§4, as amended by PL 1985, c. 797, §32, is further amended to read:
4. No secondary school. Secondary students whose parents reside in a unit which that neither maintains a secondary school nor contracts for secondary school privileges may attend a private school approved for tuition purposes, a public school in an adjoining unit which that accepts tuition students , or a school approved for tuition purposes in another state or country upon permission of officials of the receiving school. The school administrative unit where the students' parents reside shall pay tuition in the amount up to the legal tuition rate as defined in chapter 219 , except that if the receiving school has instruction in religion, the tuition must be reduced pro rata based on the portion of the receiving school's curriculum that is religion instruction.
summary
This bill allows sectarian schools to be eligible for the receipt of public funds for tuition purposes, with the tuition discounted pro rata for the portion of the sectarian school’s curriculum that is religion instruction.