130th MAINE LEGISLATURE
		LD 1318		LR 787(01)
	An Act To Increase High School Graduation Rates for Students Experiencing Education Disruption
	Preliminary Fiscal Impact Statement for Original Bill
	Sponsor: Sen. Libby of Androscoggin
	Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
	Fiscal Note Required: Yes
Preliminary Fiscal Impact Statement
Potential State Mandate - Unfunded
			FY 2021-22	FY 2022-23	Projections  FY 2023-24	Projections  FY 2024-25
Net Cost (Savings)
	General Fund		$126,208	$197,572	$203,538	$209,695
Appropriations/Allocations
	General Fund		$126,208	$197,572	$203,538	$209,695
State Mandates
	Required Activity				Unit Affected	Local Cost
	Requires a responsible school to provide every new student experiencing education disruption with an adult staff or volunteer mentor to facilitate the student's transition to the new school.				School	Moderate statewide
	Adds migrant students and immigrant students to the number of student to which a responsible school must:				School	Moderate statewide
	1)  provide staff assistance to ensure the complete transfer of all records, grades, full and partial credits and all academic material;
	2) develop or update a school work recognition plan within 10 days of the school becoming aware of the student experiencing education disruption;
	3) make individual educational materials such as curricula and assignments available within 5 days of the school becoming aware that the student is experiencing a period of absence due to education disruption; and
	4) provide support for and assist any student who has experienced education disruption in the completion and submission of an application for a Department of Education diploma, if requested to do so.
	The required local activities in this bill may represent a state mandate pursuant to the Constitution of Maine. If the bill does require a local unit of government to expand or modify its activities so as to necessitate additional expenditures from local revenue, the state mandate provisions of the Constitution of Maine require either: (1) General Fund appropriations be provided to fund at least 90% of any additional necessitated local costs of the mandate; or (2) a Mandate Preamble be added to the bill and two-thirds of the members of each House vote to exempt the mandate from the funding requirement. If the bill does represent a state mandate and neither one of these actions occurs, the local units of government will not be required to implement the mandated activities.
Fiscal Detail and Notes
	The Department of Education has indicated that it will require one Regional Education Representative position and one Office Specialist I position to process the anticipated increase in the number of applications for a Department of Education diploma as a result of this legislation.  The department will require General Fund appropriations totaling $126,208 in fiscal year 2021-22 and $197,572 in fiscal year 2022-23 to fund the positions.  Of these amounts, the School and Student Supports program will require appropriations of $121,202 and $192,566 in fiscal years 2021-22 and 2022-23, respectively, for the positions and related All Other costs.  Additionally, appropriations of $5,006 per year beginning in fiscal year 2021-22 to the School Finance and Operations program will be required for the technology and software costs for the new positions.
	To the extent that volunteer mentors are available to facilitate the transition of a new student that is experiencing education disruption to the new school, the fiscal impact to the responsible school may be mitigated.  The impact to individual school administrative units will depend on the number of students experiencing education disruption due to migrancy or immigration attending the school.