AUGUSTA - Rep. Tavis Hasenfus, D-Winthrop, introduced legislation Wednesday to support students and families with superintendent transfer agreements by making the agreements automatically renew each year.
"An approved superintendent's agreement means that the transfer has been determined to be in the student's best interest," said Hasenfus. "Unless the student has had a substantial change in circumstances, automatically renewing the agreement is also in the student's best interest."
Under current law, two superintendents may approve the transfer of a student from one school administrative unit to another if they find that a transfer is in the student's best interest and the student's parent approves. Parents must request to renew these agreements each year.
LD 1892 repeals the provision requiring an annual review of these agreements and requires the agreements to automatically renew each year. The bill provides that an agreement can be terminated if a superintendent determines that the student's attendance is irregular, the student is disruptive, the student does not use their best efforts to succeed in class or the transfer is no longer in the best interest of the student.
"It is patently unfair to allow one party to terminate the agreement when circumstances outside of the student's control might make the agreement less convenient, such as when additional students move into the district and increase class sizes," said Hasenfus. "A receiving school should have the option to terminate an agreement to hold a student accountable for their actions, but the agreement should not be viewed as dispensable when budgets get tight or class sizes increase, which are reasons that are not related to the students conduct or performance at the school."
The Education and Cultural Affairs Committee will hold a work session on the bill in the coming days.
Hasenfus, who represents Readfield and Winthrop, is serving his second term in the Maine House. He is a member of the Taxation Committee and the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.
Contact:
Brian Lee [Hasenfus] c. 305-965-2744