Terms Used In Maine Revised Statutes > Title 20-A > Part 2 > Chapter 112 - Public Charter Schools

• Agency: means the Finance Authority of Maine. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 38 Sec. 2211
• Agent: means an individual appointed to serve in the capacity of a superintendent. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 1
• Alternative learning: means an educational option that a public school or publicly supported program offers at-risk students by offering some combination of the following: alternative education programs; small class size; flexible scheduling; relevant alternative curricula and assessment; mentoring adults; skilled teachers; a focus on social, emotional and relationship skills; collaboration among home, school and social service agencies; and any other measures designed to accommodate the needs of at-risk students. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 1
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Authorizer: means an entity empowered under this chapter to review applications, decide whether to approve or reject applications, enter into charter contracts with applicants, oversee and monitor public charter schools and decide whether to renew, not renew or revoke charter contracts. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 2401
• Baseline: Projection of the receipts, outlays, and other budget amounts that would ensue in the future without any change in existing policy. Baseline projections are used to gauge the extent to which proposed legislation, if enacted into law, would alter current spending and revenue levels.
• Bond: means revenue obligation security. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 38 Sec. 2211
• Bureau: means the Bureau of General Services within the Department of Administrative and Financial Services as authorized pursuant to Title 5, section 1742. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 38 Sec. 2101-A
• Catchment area: means the geographic area from which a public charter school expects to draw the majority of its students, which may not be smaller than the combined enrollment areas of the 2 closest noncharter public schools serving students of the same grade levels as the applicant is proposing to serve, or the geographic area within a radius of 20 miles extending from the public charter school, whichever is smaller. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 2401
• Charter contract: means a performance-based contract for a fixed term between a public charter school and an authorizer that describes performance expectations, defines operational responsibilities and outlines the autonomy and accountability for each party to the contract. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 2401
• Commissioner: means the Commissioner of Education or the commissioner's designee. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 1
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Conversion public charter school: means a public charter school that existed as a noncharter public school before becoming a public charter school. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 2401
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Cost of project: means the cost or value of land, buildings, real estate improvements, labor, materials, machinery and equipment, property rights, easements, franchises, financing charges, interest, engineering and legal services, plans, specifications, surveys, cost estimates, studies and other expenses as may be necessary or incidental to the development, construction, acquisition, financing and placing in operation of an eligible project. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 38 Sec. 2211
• Department: means the Department of Education. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 1
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Donor: The person who makes a gift.
• Education service provider: means an education management organization, charter management organization, school design provider or any other partner entity with whom a public charter school intends to contract for a limited scope of education services and resources, including education design, implementation or management. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 2401
• Eligible collateral: means an eligible project. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 38 Sec. 2211
• Eligible project: means any waste facility or the capital costs of any waste disposal service including, but not limited to, real property, personal property, machinery and equipment and related expenses. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 38 Sec. 2211
• Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Facility: means an eligible project or eligible collateral. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 38 Sec. 2211
• Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
• financial assistance: means guarantees, leases, insurance, financing credits, loans or the purchase or discounts thereof, letters of credit, financing assistance payments, grants or other financial aid. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 38 Sec. 2211
• Financial document: means a lease, installment sale agreement, conditional sale agreement, note, mortgage, loan agreement or other instrument pertaining to an extension of financial assistance. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 38 Sec. 2211
• financial institution: means any bank, trust company, national banking association, savings bank, savings and loan association, federal savings and loan association, industrial bank, mortgage company, insurance company, credit union, local development corporation or any other institution or entity authorized to do business in this State, or any state or federal agency that customarily provides financing assistance. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 38 Sec. 2211
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Governing board: means the independent board of a public charter school that is party to the charter contract with the authorizer and whose members have been elected or selected pursuant to the school's application. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 2401
• Grantee: means the person to whom a freehold estate or interest in land is conveyed. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
• in writing: include printing and other modes of making legible words. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Kindergarten: means a one-year or 2-year childhood education program, for children at least 5 years of age, immediately prior to grade one. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 1
• lands: includes lands and all tenements and hereditaments connected therewith, and all rights thereto and interests therein. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Lease: means a contract providing for the use of a project or portions of a project for a term of years for a designated or determinable rent. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 38 Sec. 2211
• Lessee: means a tenant under a lease and may include an installment purchaser. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 38 Sec. 2211
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Local school board: means a school board exercising management and control of a school administrative unit other than a public charter school formed under this chapter. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 2401
• Majority: when used in reference to age shall mean the age of 18 and over. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
• Maturity date: means the date on which final payment is due as provided in a note, revenue obligation security or other financial document. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 38 Sec. 2211
• Membership: means active participation in the program of a school from the date of enrollment to the time the student withdraws or is absent from the school for 10 consecutive days for reasons other than illness. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 15001
• Month: means a calendar month. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
• Mortgage: means an agreement granting a lien on, or a security interest in, eligible collateral with certain conditions and includes, but is not limited to, a mortgage of real estate, an assignment of rents, a pledge or a security agreement. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 38 Sec. 2211
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Mortgagor: means the grantor or party giving rights to eligible collateral pursuant to a mortgage and includes the successors or assigns of a mortgagor. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 38 Sec. 2211
• Mortgagor: The person who pledges property to a creditor as collateral for a loan and who receives the money.
• Municipality: includes cities, towns and plantations, except that "municipality" does not include plantations in Title 10, chapter 110, subchapter IV; or Title 30?A, Part 2. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
• Noncharter public school: means a public school other than a school formed pursuant to this chapter. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 2401
• Note: means an evidence of indebtedness and includes a revenue obligation security. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 38 Sec. 2211
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Outlays: Outlays are payments made (generally through the issuance of checks or disbursement of cash) to liquidate obligations. Outlays during a fiscal year may be for payment of obligations incurred in prior years or in the same year.
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• Parent: means a parent, guardian or legal guardian. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 1
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Public charter school: means a public school formed pursuant to this chapter that: