2.__Certification.__The charter school staff must include teachers holding teaching certificates.

3.__Right to organize.__Teachers may choose to bargain collectively or form a professional group in accordance with the following.

xxxii.A.__Teachers who are employees of the charter school have the same rights as teachers in public education to organizxxxiii.e and bargain collectively.__Bargaining units at the charter school must be separate from other bargaining units, such as a district bargaining unit.__Staff at existing schools converting to charter school status may continue to receive perquisites or benefits granted by the district as specified in a charter, without regard to potential conflict with existing collective bargaining agreements.

xxxiv.B.__A teacher may choose to be part of a professional group that operatxxxv.es the instructional program under an agreement with the charter school, forming a partnership or producer cooperative that the teachers collectively own.

4.__Leave; seniority.__Teachers leaving a current position in a noncharter public school to teach in a charter school may take leave to teach.__While on leave, they retain their seniority position and continue to be covered by the benefit programs of the district in which they had been working.__A school district shall grant service credit to those teachers for teaching experience at a charter school, as long as their service at a charter school is reasonably comparable to service in the district.

5.__Retirement.__Charter school teachers not previously teaching in a public school district are eligible for membership in the Maine State Retirement System.__Alternatively, the State may add to the financing of the charter school an amount equal to the employer contribution for teacher retirement so that the charter school may establish or enroll teachers in its own program.

§2419.__Revenue provisions

1.__State funding.__For new schools to be granted charters, the State shall pay directly to the charter school the average amount per pupil spent statewide for operating purposes.__For existing public schools converting to charter schools, funding will continue to be according to chapters 606 and 606-A.