Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §1, sub-§26, as corrected by RR 1993, c. 1, §44, is amended to read:

26. School administrative unit. "School administrative unit" means the state-approved unit of school administration and includes a municipal school unit, school administrative district, community school district, regional school district or any other municipal or quasi-municipal corporation responsible for operating or constructing public schools, except that it does not include an applied technology region.

Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA c. 123 is enacted to read:

CHAPTER 123

EFFICIENT DELIVERY OF EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

SUBCHAPTER 1

REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS, REGIONAL

COOPERATIVES AND EFFICIENT SCHOOL UNITS

§3701.__Legislative findings and policy

The Legislature finds and declares as the policy of the State that encouragement of regional delivery of educational services and school administration, through voluntary formation of regional school districts and regional cooperatives and provision of assistance by efficient school units to school administrative units seeking to reduce their education costs, is in the public interest as a means to further increase efficiencies and improve equity in delivering educational services and to alleviate increasing costs, without compromising the quality of public education from kindergarten to grade 12.

§3702.__Definitions

As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings.

1.__Efficient school unit.__"Efficient school unit" means__a school administrative unit in existence on the effective date of this chapter certified by the commissioner pursuant to section 3706.

2.__Fund for the Efficient Delivery of Education Services.__ "Fund for the Efficient Delivery of Education Services" means the fund established by section 3721.