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An Act Regarding the Required Local Contribution in the School Funding Formula
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §15690, sub-§1, ¶C, as amended by PL 2007, c. 539, Pt. C, §15, is further amended to read:
 
C. TheExcept as provided in subparagraph (1), the state share of the total cost of funding public education from kindergarten to grade 12 as described in section 15688, excluding state-funded debt service for each school administrative unit, is limited to the same proportion as the local school administrative unit raises of its required contribution to the total cost of education as described in section 15688, excluding state-funded debt service costs. For school administrative units that annually demonstrate savings by purchasing supplies using an electronic bidding forum, the commissioner may suspend all or a portion of any adjustment to the unit's state contribution pursuant to this paragraph.
 
(1) The limitation imposed by this paragraph on the state share of the total cost of funding public education from kindergarten to grade 12 does not apply to a school administrative unit if a majority of the residents within that school administrative unit reside in municipalities eligible to receive funds from the Disproportionate Tax Burden Fund established under Title 30-A, section 5681, subsection 3.
 
SUMMARY
This bill modifies the provision of the essential programs and services school funding formula that provides that the state share of the total cost of funding public education from kindergarten to grade 12 is limited to the same proportion as the local school administrative unit raises of its required contribution to the total cost of education. The bill specifies that this limitation does not apply if a majority of the residents within that school administrative unit reside in municipalities eligible to receive funds from the Disproportionate Tax Burden Fund established under the State's municipal revenue sharing program.