Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Educational Statute Updates topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee hears Department-backed updates to education statutes in LD 86
Summary
The Department of Education presented LD 86 — a housekeeping bill to align Maine statutes with federal language, reflect court decisions on private-school tuition eligibility, and repeal a redundant chapter of school funding law — and the committee asked for clarifications ahead of a work session.
Representative Kelly Murphy presented LD 86 to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs on behalf of Representative Holly Sargent and the Department of Education. The bill proposes a series of statutory updates intended to align state law with federal policy, remove obsolete provisions and reduce statutory duplication.
Courtney Balolen, representing the Department of Education, said the bill seeks several changes. The Department proposed removing the inclusion of students "awaiting foster placement" from the statutory definition of a homeless student so the state definition matches the federal definition. The Department also recommended updating statutes that govern when private schools may receive public funds for tuition purposes to reflect the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carson v. Makin (2022), which affects eligibility language.
Balolen told the committee the Department also recommends repeal of Title 20-A, Chapter 608, because its contents are already covered under Title 20-A, Chapter 606B (the Essential Programs and Services Funding Act) and maintaining both chapters causes confusion. The Department said it will also clarify audit-reporting requirements for education service centers and school administrative units to reduce duplication.
Committee members asked for additional details and follow-up at work session. Representative Jan Dodge requested the Department identify how many community school districts remain under the existing structure; the Department said the number is very small but did not provide a precise count and agreed to supply that information for work session. Senator Theresa Perce asked the Department to point to the specific sections in Chapter 606B that correspond to provisions in Chapter 608; the department offered to provide a mapping during the work session.
The public hearing record included no supporters or opponents in the room; the committee closed the hearing and scheduled a work session to consider the bill further.
