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An Act To Improve School Administrative Efficiency and Expand Capacity for Professional Growth for Educators with Regional Collaborative Programs and Services
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §2601, sub-§2, ¶B, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. XXXX, §22, is amended to read:
 
B. Agreements for shared staff or staff training;, including collaborative programs and support services that facilitate the transformation of the public education system to one in which:
 
(1) Standards are used to guide curriculum and instruction and in which student advancement and graduation are based on student demonstration of proficiency in meeting educational standards pursuant to section 4722-A; and
 
(2) High-quality professional development standards are aligned with evidence-based best practices that foster access to professional development, training and support for teachers and principals that can be linked to improvements in student learning and expansion of opportunities for professional growth for teachers and principals pursuant to chapter 508;
Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §2602, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. XXXX, §22, is amended to read:
§ 2602.Development of collaborative agreements
A school administrative unit may enter into collaborative agreements with other school administrative units and, whenever possible, with local and county governments and State Government or with any public institution of higher education or nonprofit corporation, to expand capacity, achieve efficiencies and reduce costs in the delivery of administrative, instructional and noninstructional functions.
Sec. 3. 20-A MRSA §2651, sub-§1, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 446, §1, is amended to read:
 
1. Fund created.   The Fund for the Efficient Delivery of Educational Services, referred to in this chapter as "the fund" is created to assist in financing the cost of local and regional initiatives to improve educational opportunity and student achievement through more efficient delivery of collaborative educational programs and services. The fund is a dedicated, nonlapsing account within the department.
Sec. 4. 20-A MRSA §2651, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2013, c. 303, §1, is further amended to read:
 
2. Use of fund.   The department shall award grants from the fund to groups of 2 or more school administrative units, municipalities,and counties and groups of 2 or more such entities, including such groups that have entered into a collaborative agreement pursuant to chapter 114, to fund the costs of implementing changes in governance, administrative structures or policies that result in the creation of consolidated school administrative units; purchasing alliances; innovative, autonomous public schools, teacher-led schools, innovative public school districts or innovative public school zones; regional delivery of collaborative programs and educational services; or collaborations of municipal-school service delivery or support systems, with the purpose of improving educational opportunity and student achievement. Grants must be used to implement changes that will be sustained by the school administrative unit, municipality or county without the need for additional grants from the fund or other sources.
Sec. 5.  20-A MRSA §2651, sub-§3, ¶B-1  is enacted to read:
 
B-1.  Facilitate the transformation of the public education system to one in which standards are used to guide curriculum and instruction and in which student advancement and graduation are based on student demonstration of proficiency in meeting educational standards;
Sec. 6. 20-A MRSA §2651, sub-§5, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 446, §1, is amended to read:
 
5. Rules.   Rules adopted or amended by the department to implement this section are major substantive rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
Sec. 7. Rules. The Department of Education shall provisionally adopt amendments to rules established pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, chapter 114-A no later than December 31, 2015 in order to align the award of grant funding under the Fund for the Efficient Delivery of Educational Services with the provisions amended by this Act beginning with the 2016-2017 school year.
 
SUMMARY
This bill amends the education statutes related to regional collaboration between school administrative units to deliver certain administrative, instructional and noninstructional functions. The bill facilitates the transformation of the public education system in the State by providing grant funding from the Fund for the Efficient Delivery of Educational Services to support regional collaborative agreements between 2 or more school administrative units and, whenever possible, with local and county governments and State Government or with any public institution of higher education or nonprofit corporation to achieve efficiencies and reduce costs in the delivery of collaborative programs and support services related to:
1. Standards that guide curriculum and instruction and promote student advancement and graduation based on student demonstration of proficiency in meeting educational standards pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 4722-A; and
2. Professional development standards that foster access to professional development, training and support for teachers and principals and expand opportunities for professional growth for teachers and principals pursuant to Title 20-A, chapter 508.
The bill also requires the Department of Education to provisionally adopt amendments to rules established for the Fund for the Efficient Delivery of Educational Services in order to align the awarding of grant funds to school administrative units with the provisions amended by this bill beginning with the 2016-2017 school year.