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LD 512

An Act To Provide Educational Opportunities For Students In Secondary Schools With 200 Or Fewer Students

132nd Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Barbara Bagshaw and 3 co-sponsors

Allows students from very small secondary schools (≤200 students) to attend a different SAU’s secondary school with receiving district approval and tuition at state max rate.

Placed in the Legislative Files. (DEAD)
#educationaloptions #schoolchoice #smallschools
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Bill Summary · LD 512

Summary of LD 512: An Act To Provide Educational Opportunities For Students In Secondary Schools With 200 Or Fewer Students

Status: Placed in the Legislative Files (DEAD)

Introduced: February 7, 2025

Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs

Subject: Educational Options, School Choice, Small Schools

Purpose and Intent

  • Provide educational opportunities for students enrolled in secondary schools within small school districts.
  • Create a mechanism for students in SAUs with a secondary school that has 200 or fewer resident students to pursue attendance at a secondary school in a different SAU, subject to approval by the receiving school.
  • Expand school choice options for students in small, rural communities while preserving local control over placement decisions.

Key Provisions

  • Eligible SAUs: Any SAU whose secondary school has a total resident student count of 200 or fewer.
  • Cross-District Attendance: A student from an eligible SAU may attend a secondary school in another SAU if the receiving school approves the placement.
  • Tuition/Funding: The receiving school is authorized to invoice the resident SAU for a amount not to exceed the state maximum allowable tuition rate.
  • Funding Impact: The bill notes that the overall cost of public education (K–12) is not increased by the bill, but the actual distribution of per-pupil funding between the sending and receiving districts would depend on the number of students who participate and is not currently estimable.
  • Budgetary Flexibility: The arrangement creates a potential shift in per-pupil funding between sending and receiving SAUs, but without a net change to total state cost for K–12 education.

Who Is Affected

  • Students in very small secondary schools (≤200 resident students) in Maine.
  • Sending SAUs (the districts where the students originate).
  • Receiving SAUs (the districts where students attend a secondary school).
  • Local school administrators and school boards responsible for approving cross-district attendance and handling tuition invoicing.

Procedural and Timeline Highlights

  • Introduced: February 7, 2025.
  • Initially referred to the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee.
  • Work session held March 25, 2025; bill reported as ONTP/OTP-AM (depending on the version).
  • May 2–7, 2025: Subsequent committee reports and floor action; May 7, 2025, the Majority Ought Not to Pass report was accepted, and the bill was moved through concurrence and placed in the Legislative Files.
  • Final status: DEAD (not enacted in the 132nd Maine Legislature).

Fiscal Impact

  • Two fiscal notes (LR 1220(01) and LR 1220(02)) indicate:
    • No net increase in total K–12 cost to the state.
    • Potential shifting of per-pupil funding between sending and receiving districts.
    • Exact funding impact depends on the number of participating students and cannot be estimated in advance.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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