Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §5815 is enacted to read:

§5815.__Subsidy to parents

A municipality may offer a subsidy to a parent of an elementary or secondary student to send the student to a school other than the public school that the student would attend under section 5202.__In order to receive the subsidy under this section, the parent must enter a contract with the municipality that the parent will send the student to a school that is accredited by the State under chapter 206, subchapter 2 or by another state under that state's accreditation standards and meets the provisions of the system of learning results under section 6209.__A parent of an elementary or secondary student may not receive a subsidy under this section for the student to attend a home instruction program.

SUMMARY

This bill allows municipalities to offer a subsidy to a parent of an elementary or secondary student to send the student to a school other than the public school in the school administrative unit in which the parent or student resides. In order to receive the subsidy, the parent must enter a contract with the municipality that the parent will send the student to an accredited school that meets the provisions of the system of learning results. This bill does not allow a subsidy for a parent to homeschool the student.