5.__No taxing or bonding authority.__A charter school may not levy taxes or issue bonds secured by tax revenues.

6.__Impact Aid Fund for small school administrative units.__ The department shall establish the Impact Aid Fund to which school administrative units with fewer than 600 students may apply for financial assistance.__Applications must demonstrate how a school administrative unit has suffered financially by the location of a public charter school nearby, and request a specific sum based on the number of students previously enrolled in the district's schools who have transferred to charter schools.__The department is authorized to contribute $50,000 per year to an account that supports this fund for the first 5 years of the charter school program established in section 2411.__Interest on unused funds accrues to the fund.__ The distribution of and continued need for this fund must be reviewed by the commissioner at least once every 4 years.

7.__Facilities.__Public charter schools must be afforded preference in access to surplus public space as it becomes available from the State or any political subdivision of the State.

In addition to federal grants for start-up costs and renovation of facilities, charter schools have access to the Maine state school construction fund on the same basis as noncharter public schools

§2420.__Immunity and exemption

1.__Exemption from state and local education law and rules.__ Except as provided in this chapter and its charter, a charter school is exempt from all statutes and rules applicable to a school, a board or a school district, although it may elect to comply with one or more provisions of statutes or rules.__ School administrative units may not interpret this subsection to reduce their obligation to provide education for their residents.

2.__Liability.__The charter school may sue and be sued, except that the chartering authority of a charter school, members of the governing board of the chartering authority in their official capacity and employees of a chartering authority are