128th MAINE LEGISLATURE
		LD 840		LR 78(02)
	An Act To Expand Educational Opportunities for Students in the Unorganized Territories
	Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment " "
	Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
	Fiscal Note Required: Yes
Fiscal Note
Current biennium cost increase - Education in Unorganized Territory
Fiscal Detail and Notes
	This legislation allows an elementary school student that resides in an unorganized territory that does not have an elementary school and who attended a public elementary school as a tuition student instead of a state-operated school in the unorganized territory prior to the 2016-2017 school year to continue to be able to attend the public school as a tuition student until the student is no longer eligible to attend elementary school.  This provision will result in increased costs to the taxpayers in the unorganized territory beginning in fiscal year 2017-18 if the cost for the student to attend the public elementary school is greater than the cost of that student attending a state-operated school.  Although the exact cost can not be determined, the Department of Education estimates the cost to be approximately $222,466 in fiscal year 2017-18 and $185,728 in fiscal year 2018-19.  The cost of this provision will continually decrease until fiscal year 2025-26 when the last student impacted by this legislation is expected to no longer be attending elementary school.