Annual audit reports are due within six months after the end of the audit period (e.g., reports for the fiscal year ending June 30th are due on or before December 30th).

• Per statute, the auditor is required to review the audit with the school board.
• Per statute, it is the school board’s responsibility to submit the annual audit document unless it is stated in the engagement letter that the audit firm will submit the audit to the Department on behalf of the school board.
• Municipal school units are required to submit either a combined (school and municipal as one document) annual audit or a school department audit and a municipal audit to the Department. The municipal annual report (a.k.a. town report) cannot be accepted in lieu of the complete municipal annual audit.
• Per statute, Maine DOE must receive a Schedule of Expenditure of Federal Awards(SEFA), which includes federal award expenditures for all reporting entities, even if a Single Audit (formerly A-133 audit) is not required to be conducted. The SEFA provides information needed by Maine DOE to conduct sub-recipient monitoring as required by the US Department of Education and is due at the time of the annual audit.

In municipal school units where a combined audit is not conducted, Maine DOE should receive two audits: an audit with a SEFA for the school department, and an audit for the city/town including a SEFA.

• If a management letter is prepared by the auditor, a copy must be submitted to Maine DOE with the annual audit, as this letter provides us with information needed to conduct sub-recipient monitoring, as required by US DOE.

Extensions and Subsidy Payments

If an extension or exception is needed for the deadline to submit either the municipal or school department audit, the superintendent must contact the Department to request the extension.
The forms are available on the Fiscal Review and Compliance webpage, under forms on the menu bar.

• Initial extension requests will be for a period of 2 months, and 30 days thereafter.
• Extension requests will be considered until June 30th (six months after due date); extensions will not be valid after June 30th and all municipalities and school administrative units with overdue audits which have not submitted an extension request before May 31^th may have a delay in subsidy release. Those who have not submitted an extension request will have subsidy withheld until addressed.

Please submit all annual audit documents, reports, information requests, questions and other audit correspondence via email to DOE.Audit@Maine.gov.

Currently the EF-M-39 Report of Adult Education is open for submissions through the NEO Student Data Module. The report is a resident-based aggregate count of students aged 16 to 20 who live within the boundaries of a school administrative unit (SAU), are no longer enrolled in regular education classes, and are taking academic courses through a Maine Adult Education program, but not necessarily through the SAU in which they reside.

School Administrative Units are asked to report the number of students, and the number of courses and credits taken.

Who Needs to Report:

All public SAUs, excluding public charter schools, must complete the report, even if there are no pupils to report. Please note that the individual SAU member entities of an AOS and school unions must report separately. SAUs whose students attend a regional Adult Education programs must report the number of resident students who attend the regional Adult Education program.

To Complete the Form, go to:

https://neo.maine.gov/DOE/NEO/studentdata

Once logged into the NEO system,navigate to Student Data. If you do not have NEO credentials, please have your Superintendent submit a Access Request Form to the Maine DOE Data HelpDesk.

1. Enter the total number of students (between the ages of 16-20) enrolled in adult education
2. Enter the total number of courses
3. Enter the total number of credits

The Data Collection and Reporting (DC&R) Calendar lists all reports due to Maine DOE.

The accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of the data sent for this report has a direct correlation to the subsidy that your SAU may receive.

Questions: Contact the MEDMS Helpdesk at (207) 624-6896 or medms.helpdesk@maine.gov .

The impacts of the national employment market are being felt deeply in schools across our state as they try to hire people to fill every position needed to safely maintain in-person learning. While all positions remain difficult to fill, the Department of Education recognizes that a lack of bus drivers and substitute teachers are perhaps the most crippling for schools in Maine.

The Department has been working with other agencies within the administration to seek creative or alternative, yet safe, options to address the bus driver shortage.  Schools are competing with many industries who are also seeking certified commercial drivers, and additional requirements or restrictions for drivers will not help expand the pool of applicants.

To reduce further impacts, Governor Mills recently sent a letter to United States Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, asking for a delay in the implementation of additional federal requirements for school bus drivers, as well as an extension to the waiver of a wait period for testing. It is the hope of the administration that barriers can be reduced while collaborative and creative solutions to support Maine schools are sought. The letter in its entirety can be read,  here.

If you or someone you know may have an interest in making a difference in the lives of Maine’s children, please consider contacting your local or nearby school to learn how you can become a  substitute teacher or bus driver.

On Monday, November 22, 2021, from 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm and 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm the advisory committee for LD 255 will have their second meeting.  The meetings will be facilitated by an independent facilitator and will be recorded.

On Tuesday, November 23, 2021, from 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm and 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm the advisory committee for LD 386 will have their second meeting.  The meetings will be facilitated by an independent facilitator and will be recorded.

All previous advisory committee meeting materials and meeting recordings are available here.

LD 255, Resolve, Directing the Department of Education To Develop a Plan for the

Provision of Early Intervention Services (Emergency) and LD 386, Resolve, Directing the Department of Education To Establish the Process for Transitioning the Provision of Early Childhood Special Education Services for Children with Disabilities from 4 Years of Age to under 6 Years of Age from the Regional Child Development Services System to School Administrative Units passed during the 130^th first legislative session. If you would like to attend the upcoming advisory committee meetings and listen to the discussion, please use the following links.

LD 255 Advisory Committee

Monday, November 22

01:00 PM – 02:30 PM
Webinar ID: 858 9296 2757
https://mainestate.zoom.us/j/85892962757

06:00 PM – 07:30 PM

Webinar ID: 840 8653 7392
https://mainestate.zoom.us/j/84086537392

LD 386 Advisory Committee
Tuesday, November 23

01:00 PM – 02:30 PM
Webinar ID: 895 2002 0473
https://mainestate.zoom.us/j/89520020473

06:00 PM – 07:30 PM
Webinar ID: 892 6973 3462
https://mainestate.zoom.us/j/89269733462

Please email questions to Alisha.Brownstein@maine.gov.