Amend the bill in section 1 by striking out all of subsection 1 (page 1, lines 4 to 8 in L.D.) and inserting the following:
‘1. Appointment. The state board shall consist consists of 9 members who shall be and, beginning in the 2007-2008 school year, 2 nonvoting student members, one junior and one senior in high school. All members are appointed by the Governor. One of the student members must reside in the State's First Congressional District at the time of appointment and one must reside in the State's Second Congressional District at the time of appointment. Each appointment shall be is subject to review by the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education matters and to confirmation by the Legislature.’
Amend the bill in section 2 by striking out all of subsection 1-A (page 1, lines 10 to 22 in L.D.) and inserting the following:
‘ 1-A. Nomination of student members. Each student member of the state board serves for a term of 2 years, except that the senior appointed in the 2007-2008 school year serves for one year. A junior in high school must be added each year to the state board to serve a term of 2 years. A. The state board shall notify every public high school principal by March 15th of the year in which applications are being accepted for the student member's position.
B. Applications for the student member's position must be submitted to the state board no later than April 15th of the year in which applications are being accepted.
C. A screening committee of the state board shall select 6 semifinalists for the student member's position.
D. The state board shall, by May 1st of the year in which applications are being accepted, select 3 finalists for the Governor's consideration and shall rank the finalists according to its preference.’
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 4 (page 1, lines 26 to 32 in L.D.) and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 4. 20-A MRSA §401, sub-§1-C is enacted to read:
1-C. Qualifications for service as student member. At the time a student member of the state board's term commences, the student must: A. Be enrolled in good standing in a public high school in the State;
B. Have completed 10th grade prior to the commencement of the term;
C. Provide at least 3 references from teachers in the school that the student attends; and
D. Meet other criteria established by the state board in consultation with students in the State.’
summary
The bill added one student member to the State Board of Education. This amendment expands the membership of the board to include 2 student members, including one junior in high school and one senior in high school, to serve as nonvoting members. The amendment adds a requirement that one of the student members reside in the First Congressional District and one in the Second Congressional District at the time of their appointment. The amendment also changes several dates in the nomination process for prospective student members to align with the phase-in of the terms of student members. Finally, the amendment strikes the grade average prerequisite and replaces it with a provision that other qualifications would be established by the board in consultation with students in the State.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)