124th MAINE LEGISLATURE
		LD 1325		LR 336(01)
	An Act Regarding Curriculum Requirements and Standards for Awarding a High School Diploma
	Preliminary Fiscal Impact Statement for Original Bill
	Sponsor: Rep. Sutherland of Chapman
	Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
	Fiscal Note Required: Yes
Preliminary Fiscal Impact Statement
State Mandate - Unfunded
State Mandates
	Required Activity				Unit Affected	Local Cost
	This legislation makes the following requirements:  1)  that elementary and secondary schools provide students with opportunities for learning in multiple pathways that include opportunities to accelerate learning to meet the needs of individual students such as, but not limited to, career and technical education, alternative education programs, apprenticeships, career academics, advanced placements, online courses, adult education and dual enrollment; 2)  that by the fall of 2012 school administrative units develop and implement a system of interventions for K-12 that provide each student who is not progressing toward meeting the content standards with different learning experience or assistance to achieve the standards; 3)  that a personal learning plan must be developed for each junior high or middle school student that must be reviewed and transferred with the student to the next grade, including secondary school beginning with the 2010-2011 school year.				School	Significant statewide
	The required local activities in this bill may represent a State mandate pursuant to the Constitution of Maine.  Unless General Fund appropriations are provided to fund at least 90% of the additional costs or a Mandate Preamble is amended to the bill and two-thirds of the members of each House vote to exempt this mandate from the funding requirement, municipalities may not be required to implement these changes.
Fiscal Detail and Notes
	Additional requirements include 1)  requiring secondary schools to provide a structure that allows for student achievement of the parameters for essential instruction and graduation requirements using multiple pathways such as quizzes, portfolios, performances, exhibitions and projects based on state-developed rubrics or locally developed rubrics approved by the Department.
	The cost to school administrative units to implement these changes can not be determined at this time.  The Department of Education has indicated that current funding for schools from State and Federal sources are sufficient to fund the additional costs to implement these requirements.  However, pursuant to 30-A MRSA, §5685, sub-§3(B), the State is prohibited from meeting its obligation to provide required state mandate funds by requiring a local unit of government to spend funds previously appropriated to that local unit of government.