The Maine Department of Education will again apply for federal School Improvement Grant (SIG) funding that the Department would distribute to help the state’s most struggling schools.
Maine’s application for SIG funding, which is in progress, will include a “period of availability” waiver request. This waiver would extend the time period in which funds for new SIG awards could be utilized and thus school improvement efforts carried out. If approved, the waiver would allow these new funds to be utilized through Sept. 30, 2021. This proposed change to the current period of availability would benefit local districts with additional time for planning, pre-implementation and sustainability activities related to their potential SIG award and overall school turnaround efforts.
If Maine is successful in receiving federal SIG funding this year, schools that are categorized as “priority” under the State’s Title I accountability system would be eligible to apply for the grant and would be contacted with more detail to proceed. Eligible schools for this anticipated competition include:
| District Name | School Name |
| East Range CSD | East Range II CSD School |
| Eastport Public Schools | Shead High School |
| Harmony Public Schools | Harmony Elementary |
| Machiasport Public Schools | Fort O’Brien School |
| RSU 03/MSAD 03 | Monroe Elementary School |
| RSU 03/MSAD 03 | Mt View Elementary School |
| RSU 03/MSAD 03 | Troy Central School |
| RSU 04 | Sabattus Primary School |
| RSU 08/MSAD 08 | Vinalhaven School |
| RSU 19 | Hartland Consolidated School |
| RSU 19 | Somerset Valley Middle School |
| RSU 39 | Limestone Community School |
| RSU 40/MSAD 40 | Miller School |
| RSU 44/MSAD 44 | Andover Elementary School |
| RSU 50 | Katahdin Middle/High School |
| RSU 74/MSAD 74 | Garret Schenck School |
| RSU 83/MSAD 13 | Moscow Elementary |
| RSU 84/MSAD 14 | East Grand School |
Last year, the Department awarded $1.63 million in SIG funding to Washburn Elementary School. These funds are helping to transform the Auburn school by raising student proficiency in math by 30 percent and reading by 35 percent over the five years of the grant.
Comments related to the Department’s waiver request will be accepted through Thursday, April 28 and should be sent to Federal Grant Coordinator Travis Doughty at travis.w.doughty@maine.gov.
For more information about the School Improvement Grant program, click here or call Travis Doughty at 624-670.