Legislative Document No. 1043 H.P. 773 House of Representatives, February 28, 2019
An Act To Establish Universal Public Preschool Programs
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT Clerk
Presented by Representative KORNFIELD of Bangor. Cosponsored by Senator MILLETT of Cumberland and Representatives: BRENNAN of Portland, DAUGHTRY of Brunswick, DODGE of Belfast, FARNSWORTH of Portland, MASTRACCIO of Sanford, McCREIGHT of Harpswell, PIERCE of Falmouth, SCHNECK of Bangor.
Printed on recycled paper 1 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2 Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §4501, first ¶, as amended by PL 2013, c. 581, §4, is further 3 amended to read:
4 In accordance with the policy expressed in section 2, every school administrative unit 5 shall raise annually sufficient funds to maintain or support elementary and secondary 6 schools to provide free education for its resident students at all grade levels. These 7 schools shall meet the requirements of basic school approval. To the extent the State 8 provides adequate start-up funding, a school administrative unit may offer an opportunity 9 for every child 4 years of age residing in the school administrative unit to attend a public 10 preschool program, or a program affiliated with the school administrative unit, meeting 11 the requirements of basic school approval. It is the goal of the State to provide adequate 12 start-up funding to ensure that public preschool programs for children 4 years of age are 13 offered by all school administrative units by the 2018-2019 2020-2021 school year.
14 Sec. 2. Development of recommendations; report. In order to meet the goal 15 of ensuring that public preschool programs for children 4 years of age are offered by all 16 school administrative units by the 2020-2021 school year in accordance with the Maine 17 Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 4501, the Department of Education shall develop 18 recommendations, including recommended legislation, for the implementation of 19 universal public preschool for children 4 years of age. The recommendations must 20 include, but are not limited to:
21 1. Standards for public preschool programs;
22 2. A process for approval and certification of programs not operated by a school 23 administrative unit, including, but not limited to, a Head Start program or other program 24 affiliated with the school administrative unit; and
25 3. Funding for public preschool programs.
26 No later than January 1, 2020, the Department of Education shall submit a report of 27 its recommendations, including recommended legislation, to the Joint Standing 28 Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs. The joint standing committee may report 29 out legislation to the Second Regular Session of the 129th Legislature to implement the 30 recommendations included in the report.
31 SUMMARY 32 This bill specifies that it is the goal of the State to ensure that public preschool 33 programs for children 4 years of age are offered by all school administrative units by the 34 2020-2021 school year. In order to achieve that goal, this bill requires the Department of 35 Education to develop recommendations and report back to the Joint Standing Committee 36 on Education and Cultural Affairs by January 1, 2020. Recommendations must include:
37 1. Standards for public preschool programs;
Page 1 - 129LR0475(01)-1 1 2. A process for approval and certification of programs not operated by a school 2 administrative unit, including, but not limited to, a Head Start program or other program 3 affiliated with the school administrative unit; and
4 3. Funding for public preschool programs.
5 The Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs may report out 6 legislation to the Second Regular Session of the 129th Legislature to implement the 7 recommendations in the report.
Page 2 - 129LR0475(01)-1