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An Act To Increase Funding for Career and Technical Education Programs
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §15688-A, sub-§1, as repealed and replaced by PL 2017, c. 420, §8, is amended to read:
 
1. Career and technical education program components.   Beginning in fiscal year 2018-19, the allocation for career and technical education centers and career and technical education regions is based upon a model that recognizes program components that have been approved by the department pursuant to chapter 313 for:
 
A. Direct instruction. The direct instruction component includes personnel costs for teachers, education technicians for programs and clinical supervisors for health care programs. The allocation for direct instruction is the sum of the costs as determined based on the following components, which the commissioner shall determine annually:
 
(1) A teacher salary matrix. In determining the teacher salary matrix for each program, the commissioner shall give consideration to the most recent available data regarding years of education experience and years of professional work experience relevant to instructional assignment;
 
(2) Student-to-teacher ratios for each program;
 
(3) The number of education technicians required for purposes of instructional support, based on student enrollment and program requirements. The commissioner shall calculate the education technician allocation by multiplying the number of education technicians required by the statewide average salary for full-time education technicians, based on the most recent available salary data, but shall ensure that each career and technical education center or career and technical education region is allocated at least one full-time education technician; and
 
(4) The clinical supervision staffing level necessary for each program requiring such staffing, based on student enrollment as determined pursuant to paragraph G;
 
B. Central administration. The central administration component includes personnel costs for directors, assistant directors and clerical staff working in career and technical education centers and career and technical education regions, as well as business managers working in career and technical education regions. The central administration allocation is the sum of:
 
(1) Costs for personnel for each career and technical education center and career and technical education region, as follows:
 
(a) A director, the allocation for which must be for one full-time equivalent;
 
(b) An assistant director, the allocation for which must be based on student enrollment as determined pursuant to paragraph G but may not exceed one full-time equivalent;
 
(c) Clerical staff, the allocation for which must be for at least one full-time equivalent, with additional clerical staff allocations based on student enrollment as determined pursuant to paragraph G;
 
(d) A career and technical education region business manager, the allocation for which must be for one full-time equivalent; and
 
(e) Benefit costs for employees in central administration, which must be calculated pursuant to section 15678, subsection 5, paragraph B; and
 
(2) Nonpersonnel costs, which the commissioner shall calculate annually based upon the relationship of the most recent available career and technical education expenditures for nonpersonnel costs to personnel costs;
 
C. Supplies and other expenditures such as purchased services, dues and fees for instructional programs. The allocation for supplies and other expenditures is the sum of:
 
(1) A per-program allocation for supplies, as determined by the commissioner based on the most recent available career and technical education expenditures amount, adjusted to the year prior to the allocation year; and
 
(2) A per-pupil allocation for each student in each career and technical education center and each career and technical education region, determined by the commissioner based on:
 
(a) The most recent available career and technical education expenditures amount, adjusted for inflation to the year prior to the allocation year; and
 
(b) Student enrollment, as determined pursuant to paragraph G;
 
D. Plant operation and maintenance, including all costs for operating and maintaining buildings and grounds. The commissioner shall determine the allocation for plant operation and maintenance costs for each career and technical education center and each career and technical education region by multiplying the square footage of the career and technical education center or career and technical education region building by an amount per square foot, as determined by the commissioner;
 
E. Other student and staff support, which includes costs for student services coordination, career preparation, instructional technology, professional development, student assessment and program safety. The other student and staff support allocation is the sum of the costs for:
 
(1) A counselor, the allocation for which must be for one full-time equivalent, to collaborate with sending school guidance counselors in order to maximize student participation at the middle school and high school grade levels;
 
(2) Career and technical education center or career and technical education region student services coordinators, the allocation for which must be based on student enrollment, as determined pursuant to paragraph G, but no less than one full-time equivalent;
 
(3) Benefit costs for employees under this paragraph, calculated pursuant to section 15678, subsection 5, paragraph B; and
 
(4) Instructional technology, staff professional development, student assessment and program safety. The commissioner shall calculate a per-pupil allocation for this allocation based upon student enrollment, as determined pursuant to paragraph G, and the relationship of the most recent available career and technical education expenditures for these costs to total costs, adjusted to the year prior to the allocation year;
 
F. Equipment provided pursuant to subsection 6; and
 
G. Student enrollment, which is determined as follows.
 
(1) For each program or plan approved pursuant to chapter 313 that has 3 years of attending student counts on October 1st, student enrollment is a 3-year average of the attending student counts on October 1st for that program or plan.
 
(2) For each program or plan approved pursuant to chapter 313 that is not governed by subparagraph (1), including a new program or plan approved pursuant to chapter 313, student enrollment must be based on the estimated attending student count submitted in accordance with the application for the program or plan approval. This estimated attending student count must be used until the program or plan has 3 consecutive years of actual attending student counts on October 1st.
 
The total allocation for a career and technical education center or career and technical education region is the sum of the components in paragraphs A to E, except if the sum of the components in paragraphs A to E is less than the most recent expenditure data, as adjusted for inflation to the year prior to the allocation year, the career and technical education center or career and technical education region may not receive less than the adjusted expenditure, and if the sum of the components in paragraphs A to E is more than 5% greater than the most recent expenditure data, as adjusted for inflation to the year prior to the allocation year, then the career and technical education center or career and technical education region may not receive more than the adjusted expenditures plus 5%.
 
The commissioner shall authorize monthly payment of allocations to career and technical education centers and career and technical education regions in an amount equal to 1/12 of the total allocation. Payments for satellite programs as approved pursuant to chapter 313 must be made within this schedule to the responsible career and technical education center or career and technical education region; it is the responsibility of the career and technical education center or career and technical education region to provide the state support for the approved satellite program to the school administrative unit that operates the approved satellite program.
 
If a school administrative unit operating a career and technical education center or career and technical education region has any unexpended funds at the end of the fiscal year, these funds must be carried forward for the purposes of career and technical education.
Sec. 2. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.
 
EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF
 
General Purpose Aid for Local Schools 0308
 
Initiative: Provides ongoing funds for career and technical education costs pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 15688-A, subsection 1.

GENERAL FUND	2019-20	2020-21	
All Other	$1,500,000	$1,500,000	
			
GENERAL FUND TOTAL	$1,500,000	$1,500,000	
 
Sec. 3. Effective date. That section of this Act that amends the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 15688-A, subsection 1 takes effect January 1, 2020.
 
SUMMARY
This bill provides an additional $1,500,000 per year for the cost of career and technical education pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 15688-A, subsection 1.
This bill also removes the so-called hold harmless provision that limits the amount of any decrease or increase in the total allocation for a career and technical education center or career and technical education region, effective January 1, 2020.