Title 20-A

The commissioner shall have the following general powers. [PL 1981, c. 693, §§5, 8 (NEW).] 1. Agents. The commissioner may appoint agents for the unorganized territory to act as attendance officers and perform such other school duties as are delegated to them by the commissioner.…

The commissioner shall have charge of all school property in the unorganized territory. [PL 1985, c. 490, §11 (NEW).] 1. School buildings. The commissioner shall hold and manage the schools of the unorganized territory and provide custody and care, including all necessary repairs…

By April 1st of each year, the commissioner shall determine the number, names and ages of all students of eligible age in the unorganized territory who have not graduated from high school.

A school board may, when it seems advantageous and in the best interest of the students concerned, arrange for students who are entitled to school privileges in its school administrative unit, to attend schools maintained by the State in the unorganized territory, subject to the …

The following provisions apply to taking land for school purposes in the unorganized territory. [PL 1981, c. 693, §§ 5, 8 (NEW).] 1. Taking. The commissioner may designate, lay out and take a schoolhouse lot not to exceed 3 acres, after 30 days written notice to the owner, if: A.…

1. Appropriation by the Legislature. The Legislature shall appropriate money to the Unorganized Territory School and Capital Working Funds. 2. Expenditures by the commissioner. The commissioner may expend amounts necessary to carry out this chapter from the Unorganized Territory …

If an unorganized unit becomes organized as a municipality or plantation, it shall, within 5 years of the date of organization, pay to the Treasurer of State for each school building within its limits erected or remodeled prior to August 20, 1951, a sum to be determined by the co…

If a municipality or plantation becomes deorganized by the Legislature, all school property in that municipality shall become the property of the State and under the charge of the commissioner, as is other school property in the unorganized territory.

1. Failure of organization. If the civil organization of a municipality or plantation becomes defunct, through failure to hold the annual meeting, failure to fill vacancies in necessary offices or in any other manner, and until the municipality or plantation recovers its civil or…

The State of Maine enters into the following compact with the state of New Hampshire subject to the terms and conditions stated in this chapter.

It is the purpose of this compact to increase the educational opportunities within the states of Maine and New Hampshire by encouraging the formation of interstate school districts which will each be a natural social and economic region with adequate financial resources and a num…

This compact shall not become effective until approved by the United States Congress.

The terms used in this compact shall be construed as follows, unless a different meaning is clearly apparent from the language or context: [PL 1981, c. 693, §§5, 8 (NEW).] 1. Commissioner. "Commissioner" shall refer to the Commissioner of Education. 2. Elementary school. "Element…

The Maine and New Hampshire commissioners of education have the power acting jointly to constitute and discharge one or more interstate school district planning committees. Each such planning committee consists of at least 2 voters from each of a group of 2 or more neighboring me…

Each interstate school district planning committee shall meet in the first instance at the call of any member, and shall organize by the election of a chairman and clerk-treasurer, each of whom shall be a resident of a different state. Subsequent meetings may be called by either …

It shall be the duty of an interstate school district planning committee, in consultation with the commissioners and the state departments of education: To study the advisability of establishing an interstate school district in accordance with the standards set forth in section 3…

An interstate school district planning committee may recommend that an interstate school district composed of all the member districts represented by its membership, or any specified combination of such member districts, be established. If the planning committee does recommend th…

If the planning committee recommends the formation of an interstate school district, it shall hold at least one public hearing on its report and the proposed articles of agreement within the proposed interstate school district in Maine, and at least one public hearing thereon wit…

After the hearings a copy of the proposed articles of agreement, as revised, signed by a majority of the planning committee, shall be submitted by it to each state board. The state boards may if they find that the articles of agreement are in accord with the standards set forth i…

Upon receipt of written notice from the state board in its state of the approval of the articles of agreement by both state boards, the school board of each member district shall cause the articles of agreement to be filed with the member district clerk. Within 10 days after rece…

If the proposed articles of agreement are adopted by one or more of the member districts but rejected by one or more of the member districts, the state boards may resubmit them, in the same form as previously submitted, to the rejecting member districts, in which case the school …

1. Powers. Each interstate school district shall be a body corporate and politic, with power to: A. Acquire, construct, extend, improve, staff, operate, manage and govern public schools within its boundaries; [PL 1981, c. 693, §§ 5, 8 (NEW).] B. Sue and be sued, subject to the li…

Votes of the district shall be taken at a duly warned meeting held at any place in the district, at which all of the eligible legal voters of the member districts shall be entitled to vote, except as otherwise provided with respect to the election of directors.

Any resident who would be eligible to vote at a meeting of a member district being held at the same time shall be eligible to vote at a meeting of the interstate district. The town clerks in each Maine member district and the supervisors of the checklist of each New Hampshire dis…

A meeting shall be warned by a warrant addressed to the residents of the interstate school district qualified to vote in district affairs, stating the time and place of the meeting and the subject matter of the business to be acted upon. The warrant shall be signed by the clerk a…

The directors shall cause an attested copy of the warrant to be posted at the place of meeting, and a like copy at a public place in each member district at least 20 days, not counting the date of posting and the date of meeting, before the date of the meeting. In addition, the d…

The warrant with a certificate thereon, verified by oath, stating the time and place when and where copies of the warrant were posted and published, must be given to the clerk of the interstate school district at or before the time of the meeting, and must be recorded by the cler…

The commissioners, acting jointly, shall fix a time and place for a special meeting of the qualified voters within the interstate school district for the purpose of organization, and shall prepare and issue the warrant for the meeting after consultation with the interstate school…

An annual meeting of the district shall be held between January 15th and June 1st of each year at such time as the interstate district may by vote determine. Once determined, the date of the annual meeting shall remain fixed until changed by vote of the interstate district at a s…

A special meeting of the district shall be held whenever, in the opinion of the directors, there is occasion therefor, or whenever written application shall have been made by 5% or more of the voters based on the checklists as prepared for the last preceding meeting, setting fort…

The clerk of an interstate school district shall have the power to certify the record of the votes adopted at an interstate school district meeting to the respective commissioners and state boards and, where required, for filing with a secretary of state.

Voting at meetings of interstate school districts shall take place as follows: [PL 1981, c. 693, §§ 5, 8 (NEW).] 1. School directors. A separate ballot shall be prepared for each member district, listing the candidates for interstate school director to represent such member distr…

The officers of an interstate school district consist of a board of school directors, a chair of the board, a vice-chair of the board, a secretary of the board, a moderator, a clerk, a treasurer and 3 auditors. Except as otherwise specifically provided, they are eligible to take …

1. How chosen. Each member district must be represented by at least one resident on the board of school directors of an interstate school district. A member district is entitled to such further representation on the interstate board of school directors as provided in the articles…

The chair of the board of interstate school directors must be elected by the interstate board from among its members at its first meeting following the annual meeting. The chair shall preside at the meetings of the board and shall perform such other duties as the board may assign…

The vice-chair of the interstate board must be elected in the same manner as the chair. The vice-chair must represent a member district in a state other than that represented by the chair. The vice-chair shall preside in the absence of the chair and shall perform such other dutie…

The secretary of the interstate board must be elected in the same manner as the chair. Instead of electing one of its members, the interstate board may appoint the interstate district clerk to serve as secretary of the board in addition to the interstate district clerk's other du…

The moderator shall preside at the district meetings, regulate the business thereof, decide questions of order and make a public declaration of every vote passed. The moderator may prescribe rules of procedure; but such rules may be altered by the district. The moderator may admi…

The clerk shall keep a true record of all proceedings at each district meeting, shall certify its records, shall make an attested copy of any records of the district for any person upon request and tender of reasonable fees therefor, if so appointed, shall serve as secretary of t…

The treasurer has custody of all of the moneys belonging to the district and shall pay out the same only upon the order of the interstate board. The treasurer shall keep a fair and accurate account of all sums received into and paid from the interstate district treasury, and at t…

At the organization meeting of the district, 3 auditors shall be chosen, one to serve for a term of one year, one to serve for a term of 2 years and one to serve for a term of 3 years. After the expiration of each original term, the successor shall be chosen for a 3-year term. At…

The superintendent of schools shall be selected by a majority vote of the board of school directors of the interstate district with the approval of both commissioners.

Any vacancy among the elected officers of the district shall be filled by the interstate board until the next annual meeting of the district or other election, when a successor shall be elected to serve out the remainder of the unexpired term, if any. Until all vacancies on the i…

Before each annual meeting, the interstate board shall prepare a report of expenditures for the preceding fiscal year, an estimate of expenditures for the current fiscal year, and a budget for the succeeding fiscal year.

The interstate board of directors shall present the budget report at the annual meeting. The interstate district shall appropriate a sum of money for the support of its schools and for the discharge of its obligations for the ensuing fiscal year.

Subject to the provisions of article VII, the interstate board shall first apply against such appropriation any income to which the interstate district is entitled, and shall then apportion the balance among the member districts in accordance with one of the following formulas as…