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An Act To Require That the State Fund on an Ongoing Basis a Minimum of 50 Percent of the Costs Associated with Public Preschool Programs
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §4254, sub-§4  is enacted to read:
 
4.  Second and subsequent years.     In each year a school administrative unit operates an approved public preschool program, other than the year in which it receives start-up funding in accordance with section 4271, the State must provide funding in accordance with sections 15675 and 15681.
Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §15675, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2013, c. 581, §8, is further amended to read:
 
3. Public preschool program to grade 2 students.   If a school administrative unit is eligible to receive targeted funds for its public preschool to grade 2 program under section 15681, then for each public preschool programkindergarten to grade 2 student the unit receives an additional weight of .10 and for each public preschool program student the unit receives a minimum of 50% of the per-pupil costs of the public preschool program as established pursuant to section 15681, section 4, paragraph C.
 
A. For purposes of the additional weight or funds under this subsection, the count of public preschool program to grade 2 students is calculated based on the number of resident pupils in the most recent calendar year. Beginning with funding for the 2015-2016 school year, the pupil count for students 4 years of age and students 5 years of age attending public preschool programs must be based on the most recent October 1st count prior to the allocation year.
 
B. Only school administrative units with public preschool to grade 2 programs approved by the department are eligible for funds pursuant to this subsection or other comparable index.
 
C. Funds provided pursuant to this subsection for kindergarten to grade 2 students may be expended only on behalf of kindergarten to grade 2 students and funds provided pursuant to this subsection for public preschool programs may be expended only on behalf of public preschool program to grade 2 students.
Sec. 3. 20-A MRSA §15681, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2007, c. 141, §17, is further amended to read:
 
4. Public preschool program to grade 2 funds.   For targeted public preschool program to grade 2 funds, the commissioner shall calculate the amount that may be made available to eligible school administrative units in accordance with section 15675 as follows.
 
A. For kindergarten to grade 2 students, for fiscal year 2005-06, the amount equals the product of the per-pupil guarantee calculated pursuant to section 15676 multiplied by the additional weight calculated pursuant to section 15675, subsection 3.
 
B. For kindergarten to grade 2 students, for fiscal year 2006-07 and each subsequent year, the commissioner shall recalculate the amount by using the amount calculated under paragraph A as a base and appropriate trends in the Consumer Price Index or other comparable index.
 
C.  For public preschool program students, for each fiscal year, the commissioner shall establish a per-pupil amount for targeted public preschool program funds available to eligible school administrative units based on a minimum of 50% of the statewide average of per-pupil costs of public preschool programs that are eligible for funds under this section.
Sec. 4. 20-A MRSA §15683, sub-§1, ¶E, as amended by PL 2017, c. 284, Pt. C, §41, is repealed and the following enacted in its place:
 
E.  If the school administrative unit is eligible for targeted public preschool to grade 2 funds pursuant to section 15681, subsection 1, the sum of:
 
(1) The product of the EPS per-pupil rate multiplied by the additional weight for kindergarten to grade 2 students calculated pursuant to section 15675, subsection 3; and
 
(2) The product of the per-pupil amount for public preschool program funds established pursuant to section 15681, subsection 4, paragraph C, multiplied by the pupil count for public preschool programs calculated pursuant to section 15674, subsection 3.
 
SUMMARY
This bill requires the State to fund a minimum of 50% of the costs of eligible public preschool programs for each year the school administrative unit operates the eligible public preschool program, other than the year in which the school administrative unit receives start-up funds.