March 24, 2014

Defeat of LD 1736 Clears Way for Maine's First Virtual Charter School

On Tuesday, March 18, the Maine Senate sustained Gov. LePage's veto of LD 1736, which sought to place a moratorium on the implementation of the state's virtual charter school law. In an initiative for a Maine charter school, Preti Flaherty attorney Severin Beliveau secured the defeat of the bill through a lobbying effort before both the legislative and executive branches in the face of significant opposition from numerous interest groups. To achieve this goal, the firm's Maine legislative team launched an extensive outreach effort to all 185 members of the Maine Legislature, the Department of Education and the Governor's Office.

Having already gained approval by the Maine Charter School Commission, and with Tuesday's vote, Maine's first virtual charter school is now able to begin enrolling students for the 2014-2015 school year from its extensive wait list of families.

To learn more, see coverage in the Portland Press Herald and the Bangor Daily News.