Sec. D-40. 20-A MRSA §15676, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 504, Pt. A, §6, is amended to read:

§15676. EPS per-pupil rate

For each school administrative unit, the commissioner shall calculate the unit's per-pupil guarantee EPS per-pupil rate for each year as the sum of:

1. Teaching staff costs. The salary and benefit costs for school level teaching staff that are necessary to carry out this Act, calculated in accordance with section 15678 and adjusted by the regional adjustment under section 15682;

2. Other staff costs. The salary and benefit costs for school-level staff who are not teachers, but including substitute teachers, that are necessary to carry out this Act, calculated in accordance with section 15679 and adjusted by the regional adjustment under section 15682; and

3. Additional costs. The per-pupil amounts not related to staffing, calculated in accordance with section 15680.

The EPS per-pupil rate is calculated on the basis of which schools students attend.__For school administrative units that do not operate their own schools, the EPS per-pupil rate is calculated under section 15676-A.

Sec. D-41. 20-A MRSA §15676-A is enacted to read:

§15676-A.__EPS per-pupil rate for units that do not operate

schools

1.__Definitions.__For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings.

A.__"Receiving unit" means the school administrative unit to which students are sent by the sending unit.

B.__"Receiving unit cost" means the amount arrived at by multiplying the receiving unit's EPS rate by the number of students sent to that unit by the sending unit.

C.__"Sending unit" means the school administrative unit sending students to other school administrative units.