AUGUSTA, Maine — In a rare close vote that did not fall along party lines, the Maine House on Wednesday rejected a bill to require school districts across the state to move toward a standards-based education model. The bill, LD 1422, An Act to Prepare Maine People for the Future Economy, was discussed at length, amended […]
Department of Education
Superintendents seek details on governor’s education proposal
RSU 10 Superintendent Tom Ward said a first impression to a proposal by Department of Education Commissioner Steve Bowen and Gov. Paul LePage to make significant changes to education may not be as bad as it looks. “We need to know the details,” he said. One of the proposals is to remove a prohibition against […]
Maine releases estimates of how much money each school district will receive
BRUNSWICK, Maine — School districts across Maine learned Thursday the latest estimates from the Department of Education of how much state money might come their way for the next school year. The new figures meet a statutory requirement that the department provide estimates about its next-year funding for schools in early February. But the numbers […]
Proponents protest changes as student restraint rules head to legislative panel
AUGUSTA — Nearly a year after creating an advisory group to recommend changes to its rules on the restraint and seclusion of public school students, the Maine Department of Education has released its version of the new rules. The proposal was developed after a series of stories in The Forecaster brought to light the way […]
Maine asks for $32M grant for education
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Two Maine departments are applying for a $32.2 million federal grant for education programs. The departments of Education and Health and Human Services submitted a joint application this week in a federal grant competition. The money would be used to strengthen the quality of Maine’s early childhood programs and make them […]
State approves proposed merger plan, now it goes to hearing
JAY — The proposed plan to merge Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls into one school district has cleared another hurdle. The state Department of Education has approved the plan to move forward. Jay School Superintendent Robert Wall and RSU 36 Superintendent Sue Pratt received notice of the approval this week. The plan now goes to […]