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Amend the bill in section 1 in subsection 2 in paragraph B in the last 2 lines (page 1, lines 13 and 14 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "who operate the virtual public charter school must hold valid teacher certification in this State" and inserting the following: ', including full-time and part-time teachers, who operate the virtual public charter school must be properly certified in accordance with certification rules adopted pursuant to chapter 502 and must hold valid certification in this State in accordance with section 2412, subsection 6, paragraph B'
Amend the bill by inserting after section 1 the following:
‘Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §2412, sub-§6, ¶B, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 414, §5, is amended to read:
 
B. All full-time and part-time teachers in a public charter school must either hold an appropriate teaching certificate or become certified within 3 years of the date they are hired, except for those with an advanced degree, professional certification or unique expertise or experience in the curricular area in which they teach.’
Amend the bill by inserting after section 2 the following:
‘Sec. 3. Per-pupil allocation for students enrolled in virtual public charter schools. The Department of Education, in consultation with the Maine Charter School Commission, shall review the funding provisions established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 2413 related to determining the per-pupil allocation amount necessary for the costs of operating virtual public charter schools and validating the appropriate amount of funding for operating costs that should be provided for students enrolled in virtual public charter schools. The Commissioner of Education shall submit a report, including findings and recommendations, on the review of the operating costs and appropriate per-pupil funding amount for students enrolled in virtual public charter schools to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs by January 10, 2014. The joint standing committee may report out a bill to the Second Regular Session of the 126th Legislature.’
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section number to read consecutively.
 
SUMMARY
This amendment, which is the majority report of the committee, amends the bill to provide that part-time teachers must also meet the teacher employment provisions of the public charter school law. The amendment also directs the Department of Education, in consultation with the Maine Charter School Commission, to review funding provisions related to determining the per-pupil allocation amount necessary for the costs of operating virtual public charter schools and validating the appropriate amount of operating costs that should be provided for students enrolled in virtual public charter schools and report the results of its review to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs, which is authorized to report out a bill to the Second Regular Session of the 126th Legislature.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)