3.__Right to organize.__Teachers at a charter school may choose to bargain collectively or form a professional group in accordance with this subsection.

A.__Teachers who are employees of the charter school have the same rights as other teachers in public education to organize and bargain collectively.__Bargaining units at the charter school must be separate from other bargaining units, such as a district bargaining unit.__Staff at noncharter public schools converting to charter schools have a right to employment benefits as stated in applicable collective bargaining agreements or they may vote to be represented in alternative ways.

B.__A teacher may choose to be part of a professional group that operates the instructional program under an agreement with the charter school, forming a partnership or producer cooperative that the teachers collectively own.

4.__Leave; seniority.__Teachers in a public school may take leave to teach in a charter school.__A school district must grant service credit to those teachers for teaching experience at a charter school, as long as their service at a charter school is reasonably comparable to service in their public school.__Any such teacher may apply for a leave of absence in renewable one- year terms, up to a maximum of 2 years.

5.__Retirement.__A charter school may establish a retirement plan or plans for employees.__Teachers enrolled in the Maine State Retirement System who take leave to teach in a charter school may continue their participation in the Maine State Retirement System while on such leave.__If a charter school chooses to set up a plan with the Maine State Retirement System, the charter school may establish a participating local district plan with the Maine State Retirement System.

§2419.__Revenue provisions

1.__Operating funds.__All state and local operating funds follow each student to the charter school attended by the student.__For each charter school student, the school administrative unit in which the student resides must forward the per-pupil allocation to the charter school attended by the student as follows.

A.__The per-pupil allocation amounts must be based on the same per-pupil rates as described in section 15676,