Resolve, Directing the Department of Education to Develop a Grant Program to Encourage Secondary Schools to Adopt Later Start Times
Summary
LD 396 is a resolve directing the Maine Department of Education to create a grant program that encourages school administrative units to work together to move secondary school start times to 8:30 a.m. or later. The program is intended to support planning and coordination among schools within a district or with neighboring districts so that middle and high schools can start later than elementary schools.
The bill also establishes the Later Secondary School Start Time Fund within the Department of Education and requires the department to adopt rules to ensure the grant program is administered fairly and equitably. The grants are specifically for developing plans and coordinating schedule changes, rather than mandating a statewide change in school start times.
Impact
The resolve creates a new state grant program and a dedicated fund within the Department of Education, and it appropriates one-time General Fund money for both administration and grants. It adds a new administrative responsibility for the department to design, oversee, and regulate the program, while leaving local school administrative units free to decide whether to participate and how to coordinate start-time changes. The measure affects secondary schools, school administrative units, and potentially neighboring districts that choose to collaborate on later start times.
Sentiment
The available vote history suggests the bill had meaningful but not unanimous support. The House accepted the report on a 20-13 vote, indicating a majority favored the proposal but a substantial minority opposed it. No committee transcript is available, so the record does not show detailed debate, but the final enactment and appropriation indicate the measure advanced successfully and was approved by the Governor.
Contention
The main point of contention appears to be whether the state should spend public funds to encourage local school schedule changes and whether the Department of Education should be involved in what are typically local operational decisions. Supporters likely viewed later start times as a way to help secondary students, while opponents may have questioned the cost, the need for a state-run grant program, or the practicality of coordinating schedules across districts. The 20-13 vote suggests the issue was somewhat divisive, even though it ultimately became law.