An Act To Encourage Efficiency in School Administration
CONCEPT DRAFT SUMMARY
This bill is a concept draft pursuant to Joint Rule 208.
This bill proposes emergency legislation to encourage efficiency in school administration by requiring that on July 1, 2007, school administrative units join a state-chartered educational cooperative, referred to as a “co-op,” to contract for the regional delivery of administrative services. Co-ops are described in depth by the Maine Heritage Policy Center in “The Maine View” issue of January 25, 2007 and are functionally similar to educational cooperatives, which are nonprofit entities described in “A Case for Cooperation” published by the Maine Children’s Alliance in August of 2006. The bill would include, but would not be limited to, the following.
1. Emergency legislation is required as co-ops are created immediately so that each co-op may hire a director and begin planning in the summer of 2007. This provides a year’s lead time before the commencement of the delivery of regional services on July 1, 2008.
2. Participation in a co-op is required for all school administrative units, including those in the unorganized territories. The geographic bounds of the co-ops conform to the existing 26 vocational service regions except that a co-op may include more than one region in order to serve at least 3,000 students. A co-op must:
3. Member units continue to retain local control, including the authority to:
This bill permits units and schools to refocus on student achievement and relieves units from the burden of business management so the units may manage the core function of schools, the process of education and instruction.
4. Each co-op is governed by a board with proportional representation from each member unit's school board. Units support services provided by the co-op through a capitated fee, contract, money assessment or other method agreed to by the member units. A unit aggrieved by a cost apportionment decision of the co-op has a right of appeal to the State Board of Education, which may issue substantive rules governing such issues.
5. Because each co-op is managed by existing public entities, the member units, there is no delay for elections, the assumption or allocation of public debt or the transfer of buildings and other assets. Interim funding of co-ops through June 30, 2008 will be supported by a capitated contribution from the state of $100 per student. As soon as formed, each co-op may supplement its state appropriation through assessing its member units if the units vote to do so.
6. By July 1, 2008, every municipality must become part of a unit containing at least 1,200 students. Isolated small units, not contiguous to another, may retain their present governance. School unions are abolished. All segments of the unorganized territories will be assigned to a nearby or adjoining unit.
7. By August 1, 2007, the Commissioner of Education shall present to each co-op a suggested unit merger plan for local approval. Approved merger plans must be presented to the Legislature in January of 2008. For good cause shown, a merger may be delayed beyond July 1, 2008, although the merger plan must by then be in place.
8. This bill lengthens the school year beginning in September 2008 from 180 to 190 days, of which 185 are for instruction.
9. This bill amends the unit budget format by aligning it into segments aligned with co-op cost categories beginning July 1, 2008. This bill provides that, for units that must merge, no new employment contracts extending beyond June 30, 2008 may be agreed to until the restructuring provisions of this bill are in place.