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Amend the bill by inserting after section 3 the following:
‘Sec. 4. 20-A MRSA §1461, sub-§3, ¶B,  as enacted by PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. XXXX, §13, is amended to read:
 
B. In order for the plan to be approved by the commissioner, the governing bodies of school administrative units shall work within the following parameters.
 
(1) The proposed regional school unit must serve not fewer than 2,500 students, except where circumstances relating to the following factors justify an exception:
 
(a) Geography, including physical proximity and the size of the current school administrative unit;
 
(b) Demographics, including student enrollment trends and the composition and nature of communities in the regional school unit;
 
(c) Economics, including existing collaborations to be preserved or enhanced and opportunities to deliver commodities and services to be maximized;
 
(d) Transportation;
 
(e) Population density; or
 
(f) Other unique circumstances including the need to preserve existing or developing relationships, meet the needs of students, maximize educational opportunities for students and ensure equitable access to rigorous programs for all students.
 
When circumstances justify an exception to the size requirement of 2,500 students, the unit must serve as close to 2,500 students as possible and in no case, except for coastal islands and, schools operated by tribal school committees and geographically isolated inland communities with schools separated by more than 25 miles by road, may it serve fewer than 1,200 students.
 
(2) The plan must provide comprehensive programming for all students from kindergarten to grade 12 and must include at least one publicly supported secondary school.
 
(3) The plan must be consistent with the policies set forth in section 1451.
’
 
(4) The plan may not displace teachers or students or close any schools existing and operating during the school year immediately preceding reorganization, except as permitted under section 1512.
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section number to read consecutively.
 
SUMMARY
This amendment adds certain geographically isolated inland communities to the list of communities that may serve fewer that 1,200 students under the laws governing regional school units.