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9.97% in fiscal year 2000-01, to 4.98% in fiscal year 2001-02 | | and to 0% in fiscal year 2002-03. Beginning in fiscal year | | 2000-01, if the appropriation and any increase in the mill | | rate determined by the Legislature to be needed under section | | 15653 are not sufficient to achieve both the targeted | | reduction percentage and the targeted per pupil guarantee, as | | defined in section 15653, then the per pupil guarantee must | | advance toward the targeted per pupil guarantee in the same | | proportion as the reduction percentage, as defined in this | | section, is lowered toward the targeted reduction percentage. | | The following subsidizable costs may not be reduced: |
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| | | (1) Principal and interest on approved school | construction costs; and |
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| | (2) Approved lease costs. |
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| | | (3)__Approved special education tuition costs for an | | out-of-district placement. |
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| | | Sec. 4. 20-A MRSA §15612, sub-§11, as amended by PL 1997, c. 736, §2, | | is further amended to read: |
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| | | 11. Special education tuition and costs for out-of-district | | placement adjustment. A school administrative unit that places a | | student in an out-of-district placement, in a regional program | | established consistent with section 7253 or in a regional program | | recognized by the department prior to July 1, 1997 must receive | | an adjustment equal to the amount, if any, by which the tuition, | | treatment and room and board costs for an approved out-of- | | district special education placement in the year of allocation | exceeds 3 times | | for that year, or a prorated amount if the placement is less than | | a full year. State payments to school administrative units | | pursuant to this subsection must be made during the year of | allocation. The funds for the adjustment are limited to the | amount appropriated by the Legislature for that purpose, and the | department is authorized to prorate payments to units if the | amount appropriated is insufficient to make full payments to all | units. |
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| | | Sec. 5. 20-A MRSA §15613, sub-§17, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 395, Pt. | | R, §1, is amended to read: |
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| | | 17. Unobligated balances. Unobligated balances from amounts | | appropriated for general purpose aid for local schools may not | | lapse but must be redistributed to school administrative units in | | the same fiscal year. The commissioner shall make the final | | determination of the total amount of unobligated funds and |
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| | must redistribute 75% ofand 25% of | those funds to out-of-district placement costs | the 75% portion | program costs, the reduction | | program costs pursuant to section 15603, subsection 26-A, | | paragraph F must be reduced by an amount sufficient to distribute | the 75% sharethese | percentages | | the transportation operating cost allocation. |
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| | | This bill requires the State to reimburse a school | | administrative unit for 100% of the unit's special education | | tuition and costs for an out-of-district placement approved by | | the Commissioner of Education. Under this bill, the Department | | of Education is required to appropriate funds for out-of-district | | special education placements to those school administrative units | | that have submitted supporting evaluative data justifying the | | placement of an exceptional student in an approved regional | | program. |
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