The Maine DOE is applying to be part of a pilot program that would enable local food service departments to utilize part of their USDA food entitlement funds (PAL) to purchase unprocessed products. Eight states will be selected for the pilot program nationwide and one from the northeast region.
Continue reading “Maine DOE applying for federal school nutrition pilot program”
The Maine DOE is encouraging school staff to attend a Maine School Security Workshop to be held September 18 at Hampden Academy and September 19 at Westbrook Middle School.
The following release was originally published by the Maine Department of Labor on July 29, 2014.
AUGUSTA – The Maine Department of Labor announced in a news release proposed changes to rules surrounding job training programs for minors. The purpose of the proposed change is to allow students enrolled in approved Career and Technical educational programs to train on specific equipment, located at a business that is necessary for their course of study.
Continue reading “Maine Department of Labor proposes rule changes to assist CTE students”
Six groups informed the Maine Charter School Commission (MCSC) that they plan to submit applications to open public charter schools in Maine. All of the groups hope to open a school in the fall of 2015.
Continue reading “Notice of intent for 6 charter school proposals received”
The Brewer Police Department in partnership with the Brewer School Department are inviting members of the community, law enforcement, public safety staff, educators and administrators to a two-day training on August 18-19 at the Brewer Community School.
The Department’s Maine Education Data Management System (MEDMS) Helpdesk Team is partnering with the School Nutrition Team to provide joint training sessions throughout the state in August for Maine schools. Both Infinite Campus District Edition users and non-Infinite Campus system users are encouraged to attend.
The Maine DOE and the Educational Plant Maintenance Association of Maine invite school administrators, facilities directors, business managers, maintenance teams and custodial staff to the 46th Annual School Facilities Conference at Colby College on June 23-25. Registration to the multi-track conference on leadership, maintenance and custodial care is free to public school staff.
Continue reading “Maine DOE offers facilities, maintenance staff training”
The Maine DOE is reminding district leaders that the School Facility Management System (SFMS) provided to school administrative units (SAU) through the Maine DOE will no longer be available after June 30, the end date of the current contract with WFA, Inc., the software provider.
Continue reading “More information on the School Facility Management System”
Next week, I have the honor of speaking about school security at the Maine Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference. I am excited to share all the advancements we’ve made here in recent years to strengthen the safety and security of our schools, especially since the shootings at Sandy Hook.
Most notably, thanks to two security reports commissioned by the Legislature and our Department and produced by Safe Havens International and PDT Architects, Maine schools now better understand their vulnerabilities and opportunities to better ensure student and staff safety.
Knowing how important this work is can often make it daunting for districts and schools boards to figure out where to best begin. That’s why as a follow-up to those assessments and in partnership with Safe Havens International, we are pleased to provide a free school security guide entitled 20 Simple Strategies to Safer and More Effective Schools.
Continue reading “Simple strategies for safer, more effective schools”
In an effort to reduce the burden of unfunded education mandates, the Legislature recently accepted the Department’s recommendation to repeal the requirement that the Maine DOE provide a facilities maintenance template and capital planning software to school units. Therefore, the School Facility Management System (SFMS) will no longer be available after June 30, the end date of the current contract with VFA, Inc., the software provider.
Continue reading “School Facility Management System to go offline June 30”
Maine DOE Newsroom 