The following reminder was sent via Priority Notice to all Maine superintendents on Friday, Oct. 17.
Dear Superintendents,
I am writing to remind you to please complete two surveys that will greatly inform the work of the Commission to Strengthen the Adequacy and Equity of Certain Cost Components of the School Funding Formula, established by the Maine Legislature earlier this year.
In partnership with the Maine Education Policy Research Institute (MEPRI), the Department is compiling information for the Commission about the current use of instructional coaches and the physical space, facility capacity and operations of districts as it relates to existing and expanding preschool programs. Because the Commission begins meeting this coming Monday, I encourage you to submit your responses today, though surveys completed after this deadline will be provided to the Commission for consideration at its future meetings.
The survey on instructional coaches can be accessed here and should take superintendents no more than 15 minutes to complete. For more information about this survey and how it will be used to benefit your district and students, please contact David Silvernail at davids@usm.maine.edu or 780-5297. For technical assistance, please contact James Sloan at MEPRI at jsloan@usm.maine.edu.
The preschool facilities survey can be accessed here and take no longer than 20 minutes to complete. Additionally, a PDF of the complete survey can be downloaded here. Superintendents are encouraged to preview the PDF version of the survey so that they know the information needed. Please note that a second preschool survey will be sent later this fall to the public preschool teachers of existing programs and will help determine where classrooms are in terms of meeting the Public Preschool Program Standards. For more information about this survey and how it will be used to benefit Maine schools and students, please contact Jaci Holmes at jaci.holmes@maine.gov or 624-6669. For technical assistance, please contact Craig Mason of the Maine Education Research Policy Institute at cre@maine.edu.
As you know, the Maine DOE is committed to ensuring that every learner has the opportunity to be successful. Part of that is ensuring our schools have the resources they need to best support all of their students and staff. The Department looks forward to compiling this information through these surveys, the results of which will inform our work on the school funding formula with the Commission and the Education Committee and help us to ensure our schools and students are adequately supported.
Thank you,
Jim Rier, Commissioner
Maine Department of Education