Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A. Education § 5814. Students not residing with parent or guardian

Whenever a student is not residing with that student's parents or legal guardians because of a broken home or intolerable home conditions, the unit where the student attends school may apply to the commissioner for a determination regarding which unit shall pay the cost of educating such a student. The determination of the commissioner is binding upon the administrative units concerned.

In cases when the commissioner determines that a school unit must pay the tuition for a student described in this section who attends school in another unit, the student is considered a resident of the unit that pays tuition. If the student is not determined to be a tuition student, the student is considered a resident student in the school unit where the student is placed. If the superintendent of the unit in which the student is placed so requests, the subsidy for that student is equivalent to the state share percentage of the unit in which the student's parent or legal guardian resides or the average state share percentage, whichever is greater. If the parent or legal guardian does not reside in the State or can not be located, the subsidy is the state average subsidy.