125th MAINE LEGISLATURE
		LD 1839		LR 2731(01)
	An Act To Define Cost Responsibility for Transporting Deaf and Hard-of-hearing Students to the Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf
	Preliminary Fiscal Impact Statement for Original Bill
	Sponsor: Sen. Alfond of Cumberland
	Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
	Fiscal Note Required: Yes
Preliminary Fiscal Impact Statement
Unbudgeted current biennium savings - General Fund
Fiscal Detail and Notes
	Currently, school administrative units pay the costs of transporting students to the Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf (MECDHH/GBSD).  However, an administrative letter issued by the Department of Education on February 1, 2012 stated that no later than July 1, 2012 MECDHH/GBSD would assume responsibility for those costs instead of the school administrative units in which the students reside.  The MECDHH/GBSD has estimated that the unbudgeted costs to transport students would be approximately $500,000 per year.
	This bill provides that a school administrative unit is responsible for the costs of transporting students that it chooses to enroll at the MECDHH/GBSD, which will result in General Fund savings to the MECDHH/GBSD beginning in fiscal year 2012-13.  As no additional funding was provided to MECDHH/GBSD for these costs, no deappropriation is required in this bill for the savings.