Interactive Three-day Workshop on the Application of School Transportation Software

Transfinder University is coming to Augusta, Maine! Maine public school transportation staff are invited to attend a three-day workshop which will provide participants with information regarding bus routing, map editing, geo-coding, pre-routing, custom reporting, and more to optimize their local district transportation operations. Public school districts using Transfinder are strongly encouraged to participate in this workshop, as it will provide refined knowledge and practice on the routing module used to enhance transportation efficiency, logistics, reporting, and safety.

This computer-based intensive workshop will be taught by Brian Keefer who is a senior educator for Transfinder Corporation. The curriculum includes a combination of educator-led lessons with a hands-on lab where participants’ complete real transportation operations tasks using actual Transfinder system software.

To meet the high demand for this course, this year, we doubled the class capacity. Pre-registration is required. Computers will be provided. Wireless internet and free parking will be available. Attendees are responsible for hotel reservations and meals. Breakfast is included for participants who stay overnight at the Senator Inn. Continuing education units will be available upon request. The Maine Department of Education is sponsoring this course and there is no cost for Maine Public school Transfinder users.

Date: October 2-4, 2018

Time: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Location: Senator Inn, 284 Western Avenue, Augusta, Maine

Registration: Pre-registration is required; the class fills quickly

Register Now – To register for the workshop, call 888-427-2403 ext. 8206 and speak with Angela Vitti, Maine Transfinder Account Executive, or send an email to avitti@transfinder.com .

If you have questions about school transportation, please contact Pat Hinckley, Transportation and Facilities Administrator at pat.hinckley@maine.gov or 204-624-6886.

School Safety and Security Bulletin: If You See Something, Say Something

Throughout the 2018- 2019 school year, the Maine Department of Education, State Fire Marshal’s Office, Department of Health and Human Services, Maine State Police, Maine Sheriffs Association, Maine Chiefs of Police Association, and the Maine Emergency Management Agency will provide tips and resource information to Maine schools to help provide some guidance for identifying signs and preventing school violence.

School Safety and Security Bulletin – September 2018

If You See Something, Say Something (PDF)

Further questions and inquiries can be send to Pat Hinkley, Maine DOE Transportation and Facilities Administrator at pat.hinckley@maine.gov.

School Bus Refurbishment Update

Maine Military Authority (MMA) has completed its work for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority contract. As part of the process of winding down operations, MMA will no longer be able to contract for school bus refurbishment and has reached out to school districts to inform them of the changes in their operations.

For school bus refurbishment contracts that have been completed, the Maine Department of Education will make subsidy payments.

Further guidance will be available to districts as soon as possible.

The Maine DOE thanks the field for their patience as we work through this change. Our mutual goal is to ensure safe transportation operations for Maine students. We will collaborate at all levels to achieve this critical goal.

Districts that were considering refurbishment services may be eligible for the Maine school bus purchase program. An overview of the program is available on the Department website (PDF).

If you have questions about the school bus purchase program or refurbishment, please contact Pat Hinckley, Transportation and Facilities Administrator, at pat.hinckley@maine.gov or 207-624-6886.

Integrated Pest Management Requirements

Encounters with rodents, hornets, bats, poisonous plants and other pests can threaten the health and safety of students, staff and visitors on school properties. However, pesticides can also pose a risk and the use of these chemicals in Maine is strictly regulated. All public and private schools serving any grades kindergarten through 12 are required under state law to adopt and implement an integrated pest management (IPM) policy to reduce potential risks of exposure to pests and pesticides.

Specific requirements include:

Appointment of IPM Coordinator
Appoint a staff member to serve as and annually report their name and contact information (e-mail address and phone number) by September 1^st via the Department of Education NEO system. If unable to use NEO, report via email to pesticides@maine.gov or by calling 207-287-2731. This information is required to provide necessary educational information and training and ensure compliance with regulations.

Training
The IPM Coordinator must complete two trainings: 1) Initial Training Module must be completed within one month of appointment (available online at www.maine.gov/schoolipm click on ‘Trainings and Events’) and 2) Comprehensive IPM Training Training must be completed within one year of appointment (free workshop offered in numerous locations throughout the year. See schedule at www.maine.gov/schoolipm). In addition, the IPM Coordinator must earn 1-hr of Continuing Education credit per year.

Notification, Signage and Authorization
A notice describing your school’s IPM program must be included in the school policy manual or student and staff handbooks. Specific information is required. A sample notice is available at http://www.maine.gov/schoolipm. This information must be kept up to date, but an annual notice to parents and staff is no longer required. A notice about the schools’ IPM Policy must be published in your policy manuals, such as the student and staff handbooks. Before any pesticide application on school properties (including non-school properties used primarily for official school functions) the IPM Coordinator must authorize it. Parents and staff must be notified five days in advance and signs must be posted two days in advance. Some types of applications are exempted. More information and sample notices are available at maine.gov/schoolipm or by contacting the Maine Board of Pesticides Control at pesticides@maine.gov or 207-287-2731.

Licensing
A commercial Pesticide Applicators License is required for all pesticide applications except for the control of stinging insects and for routine use of disinfectants.

Record-Keeping
A Pest Management Activity Log must be kept current and on file for at least two years. Specific records about IPM steps taken and pesticide use must be kept. Sample logbook pages are available at maine.gov/schoolipm.

The School IPM Program, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, is available to help with pest problem-solving advice, training resources and more (www.maine.gov/schoolipm, e-mail: kathy.murray@maine.gov, phone: 207-287-7616). For more information contact the Maine Board of Pesticides Control (pesticides@maine.gov or 207-287-2731) or Pat Hinckley at the Department of Education (pat.hinckley@maine.gov, 207-624-6886 ).

Bureau of Justice Assistance Announces Two Grant Opportunities Under the STOP School Violence Act

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), alongside the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), is inviting state, local, and tribal jurisdictions to apply for grant funding under the Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) Violence Act Program. This act seeks to support and assist those jurisdictions in increasing the safety of their school personnel and students. To these ends, the BJA has announced two competitive grants: The Prevention and Mental Health Training Program and the Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program. Applications for both grants are due July 23, 2018.

The Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program would support and assist state, local, territorial, and tribal jurisdictions as they work to improve efforts to reduce violent crime, focusing on the creation of threat assessment teams for schools and the use of technology to create anonymous reporting systems for suspicious activity related to violence in schools. More information on the Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program grant competition can be found at: https://www.bja.gov/funding/SSVthreat18.pdf

The Prevention and Mental Health Training Program would support and assist state, local, and tribal jurisdictions as they work to improve efforts to reduce violent crime, focusing on the creation of school safety training and mental health programs related to violence in schools for school personnel and students. More information on the Prevention and Mental Health Training Program grant competition can be found at: https://www.bja.gov/funding/SSVtraining18.pdf

For more information, contact Pat.Hinckley@maine.gov or support@grants.gov.

Updates for Major Capital Construction Program and Integrated, Consolidated 9-16 Facilities Pilot

Major Capital School Construction Program

The scoring process for the Major Capital School Construction Program is complete for the 74 schools visited during the Fall of 2017. The proposed priority list was presented to the State Board of Education at its June 13, 2018 meeting and accepted. This initiates a 30 day period in which schools on the list have the chance to appeal the scoring process.

To view the Major Capital School Construction Program priority list visit the Maine DOE’s Facilities website.

Integrated, Consolidated 9-16 Education Facility Pilot Project

The re-scoring process for the Integrated, Consolidated 9-16 Education Facility Pilot Project is complete for the three applicants selected to move forward to complete part 2 of the application process. As part of the Department’s EMBRACE Regionalization initiative, the applicants consist of partnerships between school districts and their CTE, higher education, and business partners.

The priority list for the Integrated, Consolidated 9-16 Education Facility Pilot Project was presented to the State Board of Education at its June 13, 2018 meeting and accepted. This initiates a 30 day period in which the three part 2 applicants on the list have the chance to appeal the scoring process.

To view the priority list for the Integrated, Consolidated 9-16 Education Facility Pilot Project visit the Maine DOE’s Facilities website. Learn more about the pilot project here.

For further information, contact Maine DOE Director of School Construction Scott Brown at (207) 624-6883.

Date set for presentation of Major Capital Improvement Program priority list

The scoring process for the Major Capital Improvement Program is close to completion for the 75 schools visited during the Fall of 2017. A Proposed Priority List will be presented to the State Board of Education at its June 13, 2018 meeting. The acceptance of that list will initiate a 30 day appeal period.

Once the State Board has taken action after the scheduled meeting date, the Major Capital Improvement Program priority list will be posted on the Department’s website at: http://www.maine.gov/doe/facilities/construction/index.html

For further information, contact Maine DOE Director of School Construction Scott Brown at (207) 624-6883.

PRIORITY NOTICE: Resources to help schools keep students and school staff safe

Maine schools have long taken security seriously, working with local fire, police, and County Emergency Management Agencies to update emergency operations plans and exercise those plans at the local level.

Maine has worked at the State and local levels to strengthen the safety and security of its schools. Efforts have included free day-long security workshops in partnership with the Maine Principals’ Association and Maine School Management Association in addition to extensive tools to inform local planning, training, and preparation.

A 2014 Legislative report on the preparedness and facility security of Maine schools created by national and local experts praised the positive climates in Maine schools.

However, in light of recent high profile national incidents, the Department is reminding districts of resources available to support schools in their ongoing efforts to keep students and school staff safe.

Available on the Maine Department of Education website are, a free school security guide created for Maine DOE by Safe Havens International entitled Twenty Simple Strategies to Safer and More Effective Schools and a similar resource specific to building safety entitled Seven Important Building Design Features to Enhance School Safety and Security. These guides are evidence-based strategies.

In addition, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has available a cyber security awareness campaign called Stop.Think.Connect. which focuses on raising awareness about how to be safer and more secure online.

After a horrific incident like what happened recently in Florida, people want to take action. The safest response is to slow down, have local conversations about security (schools, fire, police, and county emergency management agencies), and take account of what is in place first before taking action.

For more resources, including training and emergency operations planning, from Maine DOE and its emergency planning partners, visit: http://www.maine.gov/doe/security/ or contact Pat Hinckley at 624-6886 or by email at pat.hinckley@maine.gov .

Governor LePage Recognizes School District Collaboration To Benefit Students

Released on Wednesday, February 14, 2018

AUGUSTA – Governor Paul R. LePage has issued the following statement recognizing today’s State Board of Education vote to accept the scoring for the finalists for the Integrated, Consolidated 9–16 Educational Facility Pilot Project.

“Communities across Maine are demonstrating that when the state provides them with support and incentives, they will work together to create more opportunities for students in an efficient and effective way,” said Governor LePage. “I commend the local superintendents and school boards for putting the needs of their students first.”

The Governor added, “Enabling Maine students to benefit from regional and collaborative approaches to education is the right thing to do. When these projects are up and running, they will serve as a shining example of what is possible when our communities work together to benefit students.”

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) has implemented the Integrated, Consolidated 9–16 Educational Facility Pilot Project as part of the EMBRACE initiative, providing support and incentives to communities that work together to increase opportunities for students through regional partnerships that enable efficiency and take advantage of scale that the communities could not achieve on their own.

Most recently, Maine DOE announced grant awards of $4.6 million to school districts to pursue more than $10 million in savings through regional projects.

PRIORITY NOTICE: Guidance on usage of additional state funds from 2017-2018 budget

The Department has received several requests from school administrative units for guidance regarding the interpretation of PL 2017 Chapter 284, Section JJJJJJJ. The Department offers this guidance with the caveats that 1) Differing legal interpretations may be put forth and in those instances, we would recommend consulting your school unit’s legal counsel and 2) this guidance applies to the fiscal year 2017-2018 only; no analysis has yet begun regarding the application of this section of statute to fiscal year 2018-2019.

The Department offers guidance on the following scenarios for fiscal year 2017-2018:

Scenario 1: The school administrative unit has passed a budget through all applicable stages and the budget did not include a warrant article to provide the school board with authority to use any additional state funds received. Under this scenario, Section JJJJJJJ-4 would apply and provide 50% of the increase in subsidy to reduce the school administrative unit’s required local contribution. For combined school administrative units (RSU, SAD or CSD), the Department’s suggested distribution of the 50% subsidy increase, based on the statutory language, is posted at the link below. For combined school units with a Private & Special Law that amends the required local share calculation under 20-A § 15688, the Department suggests utilizing the required local contribution percentages as calculated under that Private & Special Law.

http://www.maine.gov/education/data/eps/fy18/index.html

Scenario 2: The school administrative unit has passed a budget through all applicable stages and the budget did include a warrant article providing the school board with the authority to use any additional state funds received. Under this scenario, Section JJJJJJJ-5 applies and the school administrative unit may utilize the increase in subsidy as permitted under the approved article.

Scenario 3: The school administrative unit has not passed a budget. This school administrative unit would present budget calculations which reflect the required local share and state subsidy amounts as displayed on the ED 279 dated July 12, 2017. Section JJJJJJJ-5 would not apply as tax relief is provided via the reduction of the required mill expectation in the enacted ED 279.

Should you have questions or need additional clarification, please contact tyler.backus@maine.gov paula.b.gravelle@maine.gov or joanne.allen@maine.gov