Title 20-A, Title 20-A

1. Formation. A reorganization plan under section 1461 or a regional school unit board may authorize the formation of a local school committee for a member municipality established in accordance with chapter 111, subchapter 1. 2. Delegation of functions. A reorganization plan tha…

A regional school unit shall maintain a program that includes kindergarten to grade 12 except for the school administrative districts that did not operate kindergarten to grade 12 that were reformulated into regional school units in accordance with Public Law 2007, chapter 240, P…

1. Apportionment of costs for regional school unit. A regional school unit may raise money, in addition to the local contribution pursuant to section 15690, subsection 1, for establishing and maintaining public schools, erecting buildings and providing equipment for educational p…

1. Preparation by regional school unit board. A regional school unit board shall annually prepare a budget for: A. Operational costs; [PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. XXXX, §13 (NEW).] B. Bonds falling due; [PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. XXXX, §13 (NEW).] C. Interest on bonds or other obligations; […

A regional school unit board shall hold a regional school unit budget meeting at a time it determines. [PL 2007, c. 668, §17 (NEW).] 1. Warrant. The budget meeting must be called by a warrant. The warrant must: A. Be signed by a majority of the regional school unit board; [PL 200…

The following procedures must be used at a regional school unit annual budget meeting. [PL 2007, c. 668, §18 (NEW).] 1. Election of moderator. The secretary of the regional school unit board or the chair of the regional school unit board when the secretary is absent shall open th…

1. Content. Beginning with the budget for the 2008-2009 school year, a regional school unit shall include in its budget document: A. The regional school unit's total cost of funding public education from kindergarten to grade 12, its non-state-funded debt service, if any, and any…

Beginning with the budget for the 2008-2009 school year, prior to a vote on articles dealing with regional school unit appropriations, the moderator of a regular or special regional school unit budget meeting shall require the clerk or secretary of the regional school unit board …

After January 31, 2008, the format of the annual budget of a regional school unit must be in accordance with this section. [PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. XXXX, §13 (NEW).] 1. Cost center summary budget format. The regional school unit budget must consist of the following cost centers and …

After January 31, 2008, the procedure for approval of the annual budget of a regional school unit must be in accordance with this section and section 1485. [PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. XXXX, §13 (NEW).] 1. Budget validation. Following development of the annual regional school unit budge…

If a budget for the operation of a regional school unit is not approved prior to July 1st, the latest budget approved at a regional school unit budget meeting and submitted to the voters for validation at a referendum in accordance with section 1486 is automatically considered th…

The regional school unit board may call a special budget meeting when it declares that an emergency exists. The voters of the regional school unit may authorize the regional school unit board at a special regional school unit budget meeting to expend additional funds from the reg…

Regional school unit assessments must follow the procedures set out in this section. [PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. XXXX, §13 (NEW).] 1. Warrant. In accordance with the budget approved by the voters at an annual budget meeting and in substantially the same form as the warrant of the Treas…

1. Regional school unit board. A regional school unit board may borrow money to pay for: A. Current operating expenses of the regional school unit if the loans are repaid within 13 months of the date of borrowing and are limited to an amount reasonably required for current operat…

1. Establishment. A regional school unit may establish a reserve fund for school construction projects, financing the acquisition or reconstruction of a specific or type of capital improvement, financing the acquisition of a specific item or type of capital equipment or any of th…

1. Written bids. Bids must be in writing, sealed with the outside envelope or wrapper plainly marked "Bid, not to be opened until (appropriate date)" and mailed to or filed with the superintendent. 2. Time of opening . A director on the regional school unit board or an employee o…

A contract made by the regional school unit board during the term of a member who is pecuniarily interested in that contract, either directly or indirectly, is void, unless the regional school unit board has advertised for sealed bids for that contract and that advertisement for …

1. Authority to call a regional school unit referendum. The regional school unit board shall initiate a regional school unit referendum: A. To approve the issuance of bonds or notes for school construction projects; [PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. XXXX, §13 (NEW).] B. To approve a change i…

A regional school unit referendum must be initiated by a warrant prepared and signed by a majority of the regional school unit board directors. The warrant must be countersigned by the municipal officers in the municipality where the warrants are posted. [PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. XXX…

1. Ballots. The regional school unit board shall prepare and furnish the required number of ballots for carrying out the referendum as posted, including absentee ballots. The regional school unit board shall prepare and furnish all other materials necessary to fulfill the require…

The procedure to reconsider votes taken at a regional school unit referendum is as set out in this section. [PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. XXXX, §13 (NEW).] 1. Time limit. The regional school unit board shall, within 60 days, initiate a new regional school unit referendum to reconsider th…

All bonds, notes or other evidences of indebtedness issued for regional school unit purposes by a regional school unit for major capital expenses, bus purchases or current operating expenses, including tax or other revenue anticipation notes, are general obligations of the region…

1. Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings. A. "Existing debt" means any bond, note, loan agreement, lease-purchase agreement or other debt instrument issued prior to July 1st of the first opera…

A school operated within the regional school unit may not be closed for lack of need unless closure of the school is approved at a regular or special meeting of the regional school unit board by an affirmative vote of 2/3 of the elected membership or voting power of those serving…

1. Vote; cost of election. A school in a member municipality of a regional school unit may not be closed unless the voters in the member municipality vote on the article in accordance with the referendum procedure set forth in this chapter."Article: Do you favor authorizing the b…

1. Community school district. A community school district means a school administrative unit consisting of the inhabitants of and the territory within 2 or more municipalities. It shall be a body politic and corporate responsible for the operating of kindergarten through grade 12…

The community school district shall be the official school of the participating municipalities responsible for the operation of the grades authorized by the commissioner's certificate.

The following provisions shall apply to the community school district board of trustees. [PL 1981, c. 693, §§5, 8 (NEW).] 1. Terms of office. The terms of office of trustees are as follows. A. When a community school district has been formed the municipal officers of each of the …

1. Officers, treasurer's fee and bond. The district school committee shall, annually in April, choose by ballot from its membership a chairman, a treasurer and a secretary. It may authorize the district's superintendent to be the treasurer and secretary. A. The treasurer, if auth…

1. Representation on school committees in districts that do not include kindergarten and grades one to 12; districts that include kindergarten and grades one to 12; starting date for term of office. Each member town's representation on the district's school committee, as determin…

1. General functions. A district school committee shall have the powers and duties with respect to the community school district as are conferred upon school boards under this Title, except those powers and duties which are expressly reserved for the district board of trustees. 2…

1. Preparation. A district school committee shall annually prepare a budget for the operational and capital expenditures of the community school district. 2. Articles. The district school committee shall prepare appropriate articles to authorize the budget expenditures and to det…

Notwithstanding any other law, community school district budgets developed after January 1, 2008 must conform to the format and referendum procedures for regional school units as set forth in sections 1485 and 1486. A community school district is deemed to be a regional school un…

1. Purposes of borrowing. The district board of trustees may borrow funds to pay for: A. Current operational expenditures of the community school district in an amount not to exceed the gross budget approved by the voters at the annual meeting. These borrowed funds must be repaid…

1. Community school district warrant. In accordance with the budget approved by the voters at the annual budget meeting and in substantially the same form as the warrant of the Treasurer of State for taxes, the district school committee shall issue its warrants to the assessors o…

The following provisions apply to sharing district costs. [PL 1981, c. 693, §§5, 8 (NEW).] 1. Formula. A community school district shall share its costs among the member municipalities on the basis of: A. The number of resident pupils in each municipality; [PL 1981, c. 693, §§5, …

1. Outright or in trust. A community school district may accept and receive money or other property, outright or in trust, for any specified benevolent or educational purpose. A. When the district school committee receives written notice from a prospective donor or a representati…

Community school districts may establish a reserve fund as follows: [PL 1989, c. 132, §3 (NEW).] 1. Establishment. A community school district may establish a reserve fund for school construction projects, financing the acquisition or reconstruction of a specific or type of capit…

The residents of a participating municipality within a community school district may petition and vote to withdraw from the district in the same manner as a participating municipality within a regional school unit may petition to withdraw in accordance with section 1466.

If the provisions of this chapter conflict with the provisions of any private and special Act of the Legislature which created a community school district, then the provisions of the private and special Act shall control.

The school boards of the school administrative units comprising a school union shall form a union committee, which shall be, for the purposes of this chapter, the agent of each school administrative unit comprising the school union. [PL 1981, c. 693, §§5, 8 (NEW).] 1. Delegation …

School administrative units shall appropriate for the salary of the superintendent their proportion of the sum paid the superintendent, but not more than the amount certified by the union committee, to the municipal treasurer. The proportion to be paid by a municipality shall be …

The superintendent of a school union may be designated as the treasurer of the school union and, notwithstanding section 1902, subsection 3, paragraph F, the union committee of a school union may perform the functions of fiscal agent for the school administrative units in the sch…

Sections 2302, 2303 and 2305 do not apply to municipalities whose charters specify the methods of selection, recall and term of office of a school committee, nor to municipalities who revise their charters or adopt new charters under the "home rule" provisions of Title 30‑A, chap…

A municipality, not included in a school administrative district or a community school district which operates grades one to 12, shall elect at its annual meeting a school committee of 3 to hold office as provided in section 2305. The municipality shall fill vacancies in that com…

Notwithstanding section 2302, a municipality may vote at its annual meeting to have up to 7 members on the school committee. [PL 2007, c. 668, §27 (AMD).] 1. Vote. The municipality may vote to expand its school committee at: A. Its annual meeting; or [PL 1981, c. 693, §§ 5, 8 (NE…