The Department is reminding school administrative units (SAU) and private schools approved for tuition purposes that they are now required to establish regional school calendars, in coordination with their local secondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) school.
For 2015-16, both regional school calendars and individual calendars for each SAU must be submitted by the director of the local CTE Center/Region to the Commissioner of Education by April 14 for a decision on approval by June 1. Guidance and templates can be accessed electronically at www.maine.gov/doe/regionalcalendar/.
The Legislature enacted the requirement as part of Public Law 2011, Chapter 686, a law that expands access to career and technical education in Maine and ensures that students completing career and technical education coursework have greater access to post-secondary opportunities.
Specifically, the law addresses scheduling conflicts that pose barriers to students by requiring that those school districts and private schools approved for tuition purposes that share a CTE school adopt a regional school calendar with no more than five dissimilar days. The law became effective Aug. 30, 2012, and establishing the regional calendar is a condition for eligibility for state subsidy.
For more information, visit our Regional School Calendar resource page or contact Doug Robertson (doug.robertson@maine.gov) at 624-6744 or Margaret Harvey (margaret.harvey@maine.gov) at 624-6739.