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Amend the bill by striking out all of sections 1 to 11 and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §5801-A  is enacted to read:
§ 5801-A. Acceptance of tuition students; online learning programs
A school board may decide whether a school in its school administrative unit accepts tuition students who reside, and whose parents reside, outside the State in an online learning program.
This section is repealed July 1, 2014.
Sec. 2.  20-A MRSA §5805, sub-§5  is enacted to read:
 
5.  Online learning program.     Tuition for students in an online learning program who reside, and whose parents reside, outside the State is not subject to the limitations of this section.
 
This subsection is repealed July 1, 2014.
Sec. 3.  20-A MRSA §5810, sub-§3  is enacted to read:
 
3.  Online program tuition.     A school administrative unit shall collect tuition for students in an online learning program who reside, and whose parents reside, outside the State.
 
This subsection is repealed July 1, 2014.
Sec. 4.  20-A MRSA §6004, sub-§3  is enacted to read:
 
3.  Online learning program.     Tuition students in an online learning program who reside, and whose parents reside, outside the State must be reported separately to the commissioner and are not included in the annual student count required by subsections 1 and 2.
 
This subsection is repealed July 1, 2014.
Sec. 5. 20-A MRSA §19152, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 330, §4, is amended to read:
 
3. Educational options.   Use existing educational resources, along with technology, to provide parents a broader range of educational options and to help students in the State improve their academic achievement; and
Sec. 6. 20-A MRSA §19152, sub-§4, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 330, §4, is amended to read:
 
4. Public school educational opportunities.   Increase the capacity of school administrative units to provide public school educational opportunities for students whose educational needs are not being met in the regular public school program.; and
Sec. 7.  20-A MRSA §19152, sub-§5  is enacted to read:
 
5.  Nonresident tuition students.     Permit school administrative units to provide online educational opportunities to nonresident tuition students who reside, and whose parents reside, outside the State.
 
This subsection is repealed July 1, 2014.
Sec. 8.  20-A MRSA §19156  is enacted to read:
§ 19156. Applicable laws
A tuition student enrolled in an online learning program who resides, and whose parents reside, outside the State is not counted for purposes of essential programs and services under chapter 606-B, is not included in the statewide assessment program established pursuant to chapter 222 and is not subject to chapter 223, subchapters 1, 2 and 4. Notwithstanding section 1001, subsection 9, the participation in any online learning program by a student who resides, and whose parents reside, outside the State may be terminated at the discretion of the superintendent after providing the student with an online opportunity to be heard.
This section is repealed July 1, 2014.’
 
SUMMARY
This amendment clarifies the provisions in the bill that permit Maine public school systems that offer online learning programs to allow nonresident students to participate in those programs on a tuition basis when the students, and their parents, reside outside the State. The amendment also adds language to repeal these provisions in 3 years.
The amendment changes provisions in the bill that provide that tuition students whose parents reside outside the State may not be counted for purposes of the Essential Programs and Services Funding Act, may not be included in the statewide assessment program established pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, chapter 222 and are not subject to Title 20-A, chapter 223 provisions pertaining to student health, immunization and health screening to clarify that the tuition student must also reside outside the State for these exemptions to apply.
The amendment also strikes provisions in the bill that propose to establish a definition of "learning coach" and to add the term to provisions pertaining to online learning programs or courses.