§5724. Schools and libraries

A municipality may raise or appropriate money to:   [PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. C, §106 (NEW); PL 1989, c. 6 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 9, §2 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. C, §§8, 10 (AMD).]

1.  Public schools and libraries.  Provide for public schools and libraries;

[PL 1993, c. 494, §4 (AMD).]

2.  School activities.  Provide for school bands and other organized activities conducted under the supervision of the school committee;

[PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. C, §106 (NEW); PL 1989, c. 6 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 9, §2 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. C, §§8, 10 (AMD).]

3.  Physical education.  Provide for physical fitness programs in the schools;

[PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. C, §106 (NEW); PL 1989, c. 6 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 9, §2 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. C, §§8, 10 (AMD).]

4.  Construction and maintenance.  Provide for the construction, repairs and maintenance of buildings and equipment for educational institutions with which a municipality has a contract as provided in Title 20-A, section 2703;

[PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. C, §106 (NEW); PL 1989, c. 6 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 9, §2 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. C, §§8, 10 (AMD).]

5.  Transportation.  Provide for the transportation of school children to and from schools other than public schools, except those schools that are operated for profit in whole or in part;

[PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. C, §106 (NEW); PL 1989, c. 6 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 9, §2 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. C, §§8, 10 (AMD).]

6.  Textbooks.  Provide for the purchase of those secular textbooks which have been approved by the school committee or board of directors for use in public schools in the municipality or district and to loan those textbooks to pupils or to the parents of pupils attending nonpublic elementary and secondary schools. The loans shall be based upon individual requests submitted by the nonpublic school pupils or parents. The requests shall be submitted to the school committee or board of directors of the administrative district in which the student resides. The request for the loan of textbooks shall, for administrative convenience, be submitted by the nonpublic school student or parent to the nonpublic school which shall prepare and submit collective summaries of the individual requests to the school committee or board of directors. As used in this section, "textbook" means any book or book substitute which a pupil uses as a text or text substitute in a particular class or program in the school the pupil regularly attends;

[PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. C, §106 (NEW); PL 1989, c. 6 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 9, §2 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. C, §§8, 10 (AMD).]

7.  Physician, nursing, dental and optometric services.  Provide physician, nursing, dental and optometric services to pupils attending nonpublic elementary and secondary schools within a district or municipality. These services may be provided in the school attended by the nonpublic school pupil receiving the services;

[PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. C, §106 (NEW); PL 1989, c. 6 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 9, §2 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. C, §§8, 10 (AMD).]

8.  Tests and scoring services.  Provide for the use by pupils attending nonpublic elementary and secondary schools within the municipality or a district the standardized tests and scoring services which are in use in the public schools serving that municipality or district; and

[PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. C, §106 (NEW); PL 1989, c. 6 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 9, §2 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. C, §§8, 10 (AMD).]

9.  Advisory organizations.  Obtain the services of educational advisory organizations. The Legislature recognizes the Maine School Management Association and the Maine School Boards Association as nonprofit advisory organizations and declares these associations to be instrumentalities of their member school administrative units, municipal and quasi-municipal corporations with their assets upon their dissolution to be delivered to the Treasurer of State to be held in custody for the municipalities of the State. An educational advisory organization may receive federal grants or contributions for their activities with respect to the solution of local problems.

A municipality may provide health or remedial services to nonpublic school pupils as authorized by this section only if those services are available to pupils attending the public school serving the municipality.

Health and remedial services and instructional materials and equipment provided for the benefit of nonpublic school pupils under this section and the admission of pupils to the nonpublic schools must be provided without distinction as to race, creed, color, the national origin of the pupils or of their teachers. No instructional materials or instructional equipment may be loaned to pupils in nonpublic schools or their parents unless similar instructional material or instructional equipment is available for pupils in a public school served by a municipality.

[PL 2003, c. 75, §3 (AMD).]

10.  Municipal education foundations.  A municipal education foundation is established with the assistance of the Department of Administrative and Financial Services and must contain the following provisions.

A. The endowment of a municipal education foundation is funded by contributions by citizens, estates, municipalities and bond money if the foundation meets standards pursuant to section 5652, subsection 2.   [PL 2011, c. 655, Pt. DD, §12 (AMD); PL 2011, c. 655, Pt. DD, §24 (AFF).]

B. Trustees of a municipal education foundation must be citizens of the municipality and contain at least one member who is a teacher or administrator in the municipality’s education system to be a liaison between the school system and the municipal education foundation.   [PL 2007, c. 405, §3 (NEW).]

[PL 2011, c. 655, Pt. DD, §12 (AMD); PL 2011, c. 655, Pt. DD, §24 (AFF).]

A municipality may not provide services, materials or equipment for use in religious courses, devotional exercises, religious training or any other religious activity.   [PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. C, §106 (NEW); PL 1989, c. 6 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 9, §2 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. C, §§8, 10 (AMD).]

SECTION HISTORY

PL 1987, c. 737, §§A2,C106 (NEW). PL 1989, c. 6 (AMD). PL 1989, c. 9, §2 (AMD). PL 1989, c. 104, §§C8,10 (AMD). PL 1993, c. 494, §4 (AMD). PL 2003, c. 75, §3 (AMD). PL 2007, c. 405, §3 (AMD). PL 2011, c. 655, Pt. DD, §12 (AMD). PL 2011, c. 655, Pt. DD, §24 (AFF).