Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §1, sub-§26, as corrected by RR 1993, c. 1, §44 and amended by PL 2003, c. 545, §5, is further 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, charter school or any other municipal or quasi-municipal corporation responsible for operating or constructing public schools, except that it does not include a career and technical education region.

Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §202, sub-§§16 and 17, as enacted by PL 1981, c. 693, §§5 and 8, are amended to read:

16. Other entities. Other entities authorized by the Legislature; and

17. Other bureaus. Any other bureau the commissioner establishes.; and

Sec. 3. 20-A MRSA §202, sub-§18 is enacted to read:

18.__Charter schools.__Charter schools.

Sec. 4. 20-A MRSA c. 112 is enacted to read:

CHAPTER 112

CHARTER SCHOOLS

§2411.__Charter schools authorized; pilot program established

Charter schools may be established as public schools pursuant to this chapter to provide varied learning environments and expand existing efforts to support student learning by providing different, often small, learning settings.__The charter school pilot program established pursuant to section 2413, subsection 5 is authorized to provide incentives to teachers and community members to establish new kinds of public schools and to seek to improve student achievement through the use of different and innovative learning methods.__Local school administrative units are encouraged to use the charter school pilot program to offer more options to students and parents, to develop complementary programs tailored to meet student needs and to collaborate with other school administrative units to offer regional programs.