Resolve, Regarding Legislative Review of Chapter 140: Public Charter Schools, a Major Substantive Rule of the Department of Education

Sec. 1. Adoption. Resolved: That final adoption of Chapter 140: Public Charter Schools, a provisionally adopted major substantive rule of the Department of Education that has been submitted to the Legislature for review pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A, is authorized only if the rule is amended as follows:

1. By changing the name of the application form to reflect that it is a student information form;

2. By clarifying that public charter schools have to transfer student records to public noncharter schools in a timely manner;

3. By clarifying that when a public noncharter school that is the only public school option for students in the school administrative unit chooses to convert to a public charter school, town approval is determined by referendum;

4. By clarifying that when the department is determining the 5% or 10% enrollment limits, it excludes from the base enrollment previously enrolled students in the public charter school;

5. By conforming transportation funding and gifted and talented funding descriptions to reflect changes in the law; and

6. By adding a plan for the provision of special education services to the charter school application process.