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An Act To Protect Hourly School Personnel Pay During School Days Missed Due to Weather or Emergency Closures
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 26 MRSA §621-A, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2001, c. 156, §1, is further amended to read:
 
4. School personnel.   Employees of a school administrative unit who work the school year schedule may, upon written agreement between the employees and the school administrative unit, be paid for their work during the school year over 12 months or a shorter period, as provided in the written agreement. For purposes of this subsection, "written agreement" includes but is not limited to a collective bargaining agreement. A school administrative unit shall provide a wage payment option to school personnel who are paid on an hourly basis that allows those employees to be paid for their work during the school year over 12 months or a shorter period.
Sec. 2.  26 MRSA §621-A, sub-§4-A  is enacted to read:
 
4-A.  Hourly school personnel; cancelled or shortened school day.     If a school day is cancelled or shortened due to circumstances beyond the control of school officials, a school administrative unit shall pay school personnel who are paid on an hourly basis for the hours not worked because of the cancellation or shortened school day, up to 40 hours per school year. A school administrative unit may pay school personnel who are paid on an hourly basis for more than 40 hours not worked in a school year because of a cancellation or shortened school day. For purposes of this subsection, "school day" means a day in which school is in operation as an instructional day or teacher in-service training day.
 
SUMMARY
This bill requires a school administrative unit to provide school personnel who are paid on an hourly basis with the option of receiving pay over a period of 12 months or shorter. The bill also provides that if a school day is cancelled or shortened due to circumstances beyond the control of school officials, a school administrative unit is required to pay school personnel who are paid on an hourly basis for the hours not worked because of the cancellation or shortened school day, up to 40 hours per school year.