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An Act To Allow Students Choice in High School Enrollment
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §5801, as enacted by PL 1981, c. 693, §§5 and 8, is amended to read:
§ 5801.Acceptance of tuition students
A school board may decide whether schools in its school administrative unit shall accept tuition students whose parents reside in another school administrative unit, except that a school administrative unit shall accept tuition students who have exercised school choice pursuant to section 5815.
Sec. 2.  20-A MRSA §5815  is enacted to read:
§ 5815. High school choice
 
1.  Collaboration.     Notwithstanding any other provision of this Title, school administrative units shall provide school choice as provided under subsection 2. Tuition charges are governed by section 5805. A school administrative unit is not responsible for any transportation costs for a student attending a high school chosen by a student pursuant to subsection 2.
 
2.  Choice.     Students must be afforded choice of high school enrollment in accordance with this subsection.
 
A.  By September 30th of each year, a student in the 8th grade may apply to the school board of the student's school administrative unit for approval to enroll in a public high school in this State of the student's choice.
 
B.  By October 30th of each year, a school board that receives applications under paragraph A shall approve up to 20 students to enroll in the public high schools of their choice. If more than 20 students apply under paragraph A, the school board shall give preference to students wishing to pursue a course of study not offered by the high school the student would otherwise be eligible to attend but for the choice made under this subsection. If after giving such preference there are still more than 20 students remaining, the school board shall hold a lottery to determine which 20 students may enroll in the public high schools of their choice.
 
C.  A student whose enrollment is approved under paragraph B may remain enrolled in that high school until graduation. The student may choose to unenroll at any time and attend the high school the student would otherwise be eligible to attend but for the choice made under this subsection, but the student may not again apply for approval under this subsection to enroll in a high school of the student's choice.
 
3.  Limitation.     This section does not apply to a private school under chapter 117.
 
SUMMARY
This bill requires school administrative units to allow school choice. Each school administrative unit must allow up to 20 8th-grade students choice in public high school enrollment. Receiving schools are required to take the students as tuition students.