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Amend the amendment in Part XXXX by inserting after section 46 the following:
‘Sec. XXXX-47. Exemption for efficient districts; school year 2007-2008. Notwithstanding any provision of this Part to the contrary, a school administrative unit that is an efficient district is exempt from the regional school unit formation requirements and is not subject to the penalties for nonconformance specified in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 15696.
For purposes of the 2007-2008 school year, a school administrative unit is designated an "efficient district" if its reported 2005-2006 per-pupil expenditures for system administration represent less than 4% of its total per-pupil expenditures.
Sec. XXXX-48. Rulemaking for efficient districts. The Commissioner of Education shall adopt major substantive rules, as defined in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A, to establish criteria for the identification of efficient districts beginning with the 2008-2009 school year. The commissioner shall provisionally adopt the rules and submit them to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs no later than December 1, 2007.
Sec. XXXX-49. Implementing legislation. No later than January 8, 2008, the Commissioner of Education shall submit legislation to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs that exempts efficient districts from the regional school unit formation requirements and the penalties for nonconformance specified in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 15696. The committee shall submit emergency legislation to the Second Regular Session of the 123rd Legislature that implements the exemption for efficient districts for school years beginning on or after July 1, 2008.’
Amend the amendment by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section number to read consecutively.
 
SUMMARY
This amendment exempts from the regionalization requirements and the penalties for nonconforming school administrative units for the 2007-2008 school year efficient districts, which are defined as school districts that have reported 2005-2006 per-pupil expenditures for system administration that represent less than 4% of its total per-pupil expenditures.
The Commissioner of Education is required to adopt major substantive rules that establish criteria for identifying efficient districts, beginning with the 2008-2009 school year. The commissioner is also required to submit legislation that implements the exemptions for efficient school districts.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)