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Amend the amendment in section 1 by striking out all of subsection 4 and inserting the following:
 
‘4. Tuition.   The commissioner shall pay tuition for each tuition student in the amount approved as the receiving administrative unit's official tuition cost pursuant to section 5804 or 7302 in an amount agreed upon between the commissioner and the school board of the unit.’
Amend the amendment by striking out all of sections 2 and 3 and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §3253-A, sub-§3,  as amended by PL 1985, c. 603, §1 and PL 2005, c. 397, Pt. D, §3, is repealed and the following enacted in its place:
 
3.  Tuition.     Notwithstanding section 5805, subsection 2 and section 5809, the commissioner shall pay tuition for each tuition student in an amount equal to the official tuition rate approved pursuant to section 5805, subsection 1 for the receiving school for nonresident students enrolled in secondary schools or special education or career and technical education programs as long as the student maintains a satisfactory standard of deportment and scholarship. The commissioner shall pay tuition for each tuition student in an amount equal to the official tuition rate approved pursuant to section 7302 for the receiving school for nonresident students enrolled in special education programs, as long as the student maintains a satisfactory standard of deportment and scholarship.
Sec. 3. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.
 
EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF
 
Education in Unorganized Territory 0220
 
Initiative: Provides funds for the increase in the tuition rates authorized to pay to receiving school administrative units on behalf of tuition students from the unorganized territories.

GENERAL FUND	2007-08	2008-09	
All Other	$305,768	$321,057	
 	  	  	
GENERAL FUND TOTAL	$305,768	$321,057	
 
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SUMMARY
This amendment removes the requirement in the Committee Amendment "A" that requires the Commissioner of Education to pay up to 110% of the receiving school administrative unit's established tuition rate for each elementary school student who is a tuition student from the unorganized territories and up to 110% of the state average per public secondary student cost for each secondary school student who is a tuition student from the unorganized territories. This amendment also removes the requirement from Committee Amendment "A" that requires the Commissioner of Education to compute the tuition paid for each tuition student and allocate the tuition costs to the property owners from the unorganized unit where the tuition student resides.
Instead, this amendment requires the Commissioner of Education to pay each receiving unit's actual per student cost incurred for educating students in that receiving unit for both elementary and secondary students from the unorganized territories. This amendment removes the provision in current law that allows the commissioner to pay the lesser of the actual cost or the State average per-pupil cost.
 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)