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BB - SCHOOL BOARD LEGAL STATUS

  • Section B: Board Governance and Operations

BB - SCHOOL BOARD LEGAL STATUS 

In recognition that “a general diffusion of the advantages of education [is] essential to the preservation of rights and liberties of the people,” the Constitution of the State of Maine declares that the Legislature has the duty to require communities to provide for the support and maintenance of public schools in order to further this objective.  Maine law establishes a State Department of Education to supervise a coordinated system of public education, a Commissioner to enforce regulatory requirements and to provide technical assistance and educational leadership, and a State Board of Education to act as a body with certain policymaking, administrative and advisory functions, but places the responsibility for control and management of public schools with locally elected School Committees, School Boards or Boards of Directors.  Thus, the RSU 21 Board of School Directors (“the Board”) derives its legal authority from the State’s Constitution, state statutes and regulations of the State Board of Education, as well as Federal laws and regulations.

By custom and tradition, local School Boards have responsibilities to the local citizens they serve and that elect them to office.  Recognizing this parallel concept of authority and responsibility, the Board becomes a policy-making body for the school district serving within the framework provided by law and responding to the will of the local citizenry.

There shall be 12 members on the RSU 21 Board of School Directors, 6 from Kennebunk, 3 from Kennebunkport, and 3 from Arundel.  Each director serves for three years and these terms overlap so that in each year three directorships are vacated and must be resupplied by election.  As required by law, Board members will cast weighted votes as follows:

Kennebunk - 98
Kennebunkport - 68
Arundel - 69

The total number of votes will be 999.  

Each year as a part of the Board reorganization procedure, one director is elected to serve as Chair and is the presiding officer at all its meetings.

One director is elected to serve as Vice-chair.  In the absence of the Chair, the Vice-chair will assume the role of Acting Chair with all rights and responsibilities of the Chair contained therein.

The apportionment of the total number of votes shall be reviewed within six (6) months of the availability of the most recent Federal Decennial Census. 

Legal Reference: 20-A MRSA §§ 1001, 1251 et seq.

20-A MRSA §§ 1451; 1471 

Cross Reference: BDB - Board Officers 

Adopted: 06/01/09

Revised: 05/06/19

Revised: 02/07/22

 

  • Section B