Augusta – The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is seeking volunteers to serve as an education “surrogate” parent to a child or children with disabilities who have no available natural parents and/or guardians, including children in the custody of the state.

An educational surrogate parent is appointed to act independently on behalf of a student with disabilities and to safeguard the student’s rights in the special education process. Examples include permission for evaluation and placement, meetings to discuss the child’s programming, release of information, and request for educational hearing.

“Being a surrogate parent to children from many different backgrounds is sometimes challenging but always rewarding. These children, and too many more like them, need to know that someone cares about them and is watching over their educational needs and progress,” said Peter Quimby, Education Surrogate from Thorndike.

As part of the State’s Education Surrogate Parent program, Maine DOE matches children up with a volunteer surrogate parent who acts to ensure the child is provided with equal educational opportunities.

“The time commitment is as much or as minimal as the volunteer wants it to be. Some are only able to attend the annual IEP (educational programing) meeting either in person or by phone, and others are very involved by not only attending meetings, but also visiting the student and staying in regular contact,” said Commissioner Robert Hasson. “It’s a really great program, but we always need more volunteers.”

The voluntary position may sometimes require travel, but travel expenses are reimbursed by the State of Maine.

Find out more on the Maine DOE Surrogate Parent Program webpage or contact Staci Fowler at (207) 624-6670 or Stacia.Fowler@maine.gov for more information.

Teachers from each of Maine’s 16 counties were today honored in Augusta’s State Capitol at an annual event in the Hall of Flags announcing the 2017 Maine County Teachers of the Year. The group is the county finalists for Maine Teacher of the Year, an honor awarded each year to one teacher in Maine.

The educators were each nominated by a member of their community for their exemplary service in education, and dedication to their students. They were selected by a distinguished panel of teachers, principals and business community members from a pool of hundreds of other nominated teachers in their communities.

2017 County Teachers of the Year:

• Androscoggin: Nesrene Griffin, Governor James Longley School
• Aroostook: Leslie Marquis, Fort Kent Community School
• Cumberland: Brooke Teller, Casco Bay High School
• Franklin: Allison Warman, Rangeley Lakes School
• Hancock: Marielle Edgecomb, The Peninsula School
• Kennebec: Lisette Bordes, Messalonskee High School
• Knox: Iris Eichenlaub, Camden Hills Regional High School
• Lincoln: Christopher Coleman, Great Salt Bay Community School
• Oxford: Janet Harriman, Sacopee Valley High School
• Penobscot: Kasie Giallombardo, Nokomis High School
• Piscataquis: Kaitlin Young, SeDoMoCha Elementary School
• Sagadahoc: John Dever, Mt. Ararat High School
• Somerset: Eric Brown, Lawrence High School
• Waldo: Christi Goosman, Searsport District High School
• Washington: Rhonda Stevens, Beatrice Rafferty School
• York: Jen England, Noble High School

Ambassadors for teachers, students, and quality education in Maine, these teachers will continue to participate in the intensive State Teacher of the Year selection process, including the submission of a video showcasing their classroom instructional practices.

The field will be narrowed to eight semi-finalists who will begin working on their professional portfolio, a component of the National Teacher of the Year process. After the portfolio review and presentations to a select panel, the field is narrowed to three finalists. In October, the 2018 Maine Teacher of the Year will be selected after a school site visit and final interview.

The Maine Teacher of the Year is a program of the Maine Department of Education, administered by Educate Maine, a business-led organization working to ensure Maine’s students and workers are the best educated and highly skilled in the world.

For more information, visit www.maine.gov/doe/toy/.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Rachel Paling (207) 624-6747 or rachel.paling@maine.gov

What: 16 Maine teachers will be announced and honored as part of the Maine Department of Education’s annual Maine County Teachers of the Year awards. The teachers were nominated by a member of their community and chosen by a panel of teachers, principals and business community members.

The educators serve as ambassadors for teachers, students, and quality education and are available to make presentations to local and regional organizations. Into the summer, they will continue to participate in an intensive State Teacher of the Year selection process.

Who: 16 Maine teachers (one from each county), Department of Education Commissioner, Robert Hasson, Executive Director of Educate Maine, Ed Cervone, State Board of Education, Martha Harris, and 2017 Teacher of the Year, Tammy Ranger.

Where: Hall of Flags, Maine State Capital

When: Thursday, May 11, 2017 from 2:00pm – 4:00pm

For more information contact Maine DOE Director of Communications, Rachel Paling at rachel.paling@maine.gov or call 624-6747.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Rachel Paling (207) 624-6747 or rachel.paling@maine.gov

What: 2017 Maine Farm to School Cook-Off is a Maine Department of Education event that is part of the State’s child nutrition projects and follows legislation to support healthy meals in schools. During the event local school food service teams prepare a breakfast and lunch meal within a specific time frame using at least two ingredients that are grown, raised, caught, or manufactured in the State of Maine and meet National School Breakfast and Lunch Program requirements as well as one USDA food. As an added twist Maine wild blueberries and Maine potatoes will be used as “challenge” ingredients in the competition. This is the final event of the 2017 Farm to School Cook-Off.

Who: School food service teams from RSU 52 (Turner) and Yarmouth will be competing. Judges include a Freeport High School student, a school nutrition director and a professional chef.

Where/When:
Wednesday, April 26th
Freeport High School
1:00pm start time (cooking begins at 1:30pm)

Members of the media are welcome to attend the competition but are asked to notify Maine DOE Director of Communications, Rachel Paling at rachel.paling@maine.gov or call 624-6747 ahead of time. These competitions are NOT open to the public.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rachel Paling (207) 624-6747 or rachel.paling@maine.gov

What: The Maine Department of Education (DOE), First Lady Ann LePage, and the Maine Arts Commission are hosting an event to celebrate Maine arts education and honor students whose artwork has been selected to be displayed in and around the Maine State Capital as part of a state-wide student exhibit. Event speakers include First Lady Ann LePage, Commissioner of Education Robert Hasson, and Maine Arts Commission Executive Director Julie Richard. Other highlights include student theatrical and musical performance, and student artists receiving certificates for their artwork.

When: Tuesday, April 25th, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Where: Hall of Flags, Maine State Capital

Who: Students whose artwork is on display and their guests, First Lady Ann LePage, members of the State Board of Education, state legislators, Maine Arts Commission and Maine Department of Education.

For more information about the event contact Maine DOE Director of Communications, Rachel Paling at rachel.paling@maine.gov or call 624-6747. For more information about Maine Visual and Performing Arts visit: http://www.maine.gov/doe/arts/ or contact Beth Lambert at beth.lambert@maine.gov or 207-624-6642.

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The Maine Department of Education along with the Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission (MIC3), and Governor Paul R. LePage have declared April “The Month of the Military Child” as a month-long awareness and celebration of military children and the important role they play in the community.

The declaration is part of a national movement celebrating The Month of the Military Child in April as a time to applaud military families and their children for the daily sacrifices they make and the challenges they overcome.

“We are aware of the struggles and sacrifices children make when they move in and out of different schools as part of the life-style of a military family,” said Maine Department of Education Commissioner Robert G. Hasson, Jr. “Great efforts are taken by MIC3 and local school officials to ensure that military children receive a quality, and comprehensive education throughout the school year, no matter where they live,” he added.

On April 20^th the Maine DOE, and the Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission (MIC3) will be holding a proclamation and welcome event at the Maine State Library to honor children raised in military families. Present at the event will be a group of 12-15 children ages 8-18 who have been raised in military families and will be honorary guests at the Maine State Capitol as part of a day of actives to honor them.

April 20^th will also be a day to wear the color purple in honor and support of military children. Local school districts are encouraged to join in the following week when they return from April vacation week and pick a day to wear purple.

For more information contact Rachel Paling at rachel.paling@maine.gov or (207) 624-6747 or Tyler Backus at tyler.backus@maine.gov or (207) 624-6727.

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is in the process of building an online portal for a new web-based credentialing system. The new system, being put in place by Hupp Technologies, will be fully operational by the July 1^st teacher, educational specialist and administrator renewal expiration date.

The online system will completely replace the Maine DOE’s current paper application system. Highlights include effortlessness in account creation, electronic notifications about actionable items for both teachers and administrators, and the ability to pay fees online.

Once the new system is in place, all teachers will need to create an account. The Maine DOE’s Certification team will be sending out individual notices to the email addresses that are on file in the NEO staff system.

Training will be made available soon for Superintendents and Support System Chairs. In addition, webinars will be available for educators to assist with account creation, and the renewal process.

It is important to note, allowances will be made if the system goes up later than expected. Current Maine State rules state that if a certificate is held up for any reason beyond the teachers’ control, then the previously held certificate is still valid. This addresses the concern some may have about not being eligible to sign teacher contracts.

For more information contact Ángel Martínez Loredo at 207-624-6603 or email cert.doe@maine.gov.

The Maine Department of Education is pleased to announce that the following individuals have been appointed by Governor Paul R. LePage and Maine Department of Education Commissioner Robert G. Hasson, Jr. to serve as commissioners for the Maine Commission for Community Service (MCCS). Founded in 1994, MCCS seeks to foster community service and volunteerism to meet human and environmental needs in the State of Maine.

• Aaron Dombroski
  A major in the U.S. Army Reserves, Dombroski has taught military science at MIT, worked for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and Veterans Benefits Administration. He is currently a veterans’ service officer for the Maine Bureau of Veterans Services serving Cumberland County and is active in the State of Maine’s plan to end veterans’ homelessness.
• Beth Lambert
  Serving as the Commissioner of Education’s designee to the Commission, Lambert is the Visual and Performing Arts Specialist and Aroostook County Regional Representative for the Maine Department of Education. She brings 10 years of education experience at the middle and high school levels and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre Arts, English, and Education from Lawrence University and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Harvard University.
• Brianna Tibbetts
  A 17 year-old homeschool high school student from North Waterboro, Tibbetts is currently dual enrolled at York County Community College. She is a volunteer camp counselor at Camp Good News in Livermore, Maine and has worked as a Jr. Ski School instructor at Shawnee Peak. Interested in civic engagement, Tibbetts is also participating in TeenPACT, a Christian program that brings teenagers to Augusta to understand the political process and how to engage in it.
• Cary Olson-Cartwright
  Olson-Cartwright is Assistant Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility at Unum, and serves on several boards that are focused on supporting Maine’s youth and education including Jobs for Maine’s Graduates and Thomas College. She is a graduate of UMaine and the Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.
• Coleman LaPointe
  A 2011 Maine Maritime Academy Graduate, LaPointe is the Director of Strategic Alliances at the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. He previously worked as a special assistant and personal aide to former U.S. President George H.W. Bush and served as a personal aide to former Florida Governor Jeb Bush during his 2016 presidential campaign.
• Honorable David C. Burns
  Senator David C. Burns formerly served in the Maine State Senate, serving the people of Washington County, as well as Gouldsboro, Sullivan, Winter Harbor, and a portion of the East Hancock Unorganized Territory. He has also served for the Maine House of Representatives, as the Chair of the Government Oversight Committee, was a member of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, and a member of the Judiciary Committee. Senator Burns is a retired Maine State Trooper who specialized in investigating major crimes.
• Diane Dickerson
  Dickerson has been serving as the CEO of Bangor YMCA since 2014, she has dedicated her life to community involvement, serving in previous roles as the chairman of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the University Medical Center Foundation, and chairman of The Children’s Miracle Network among others, she has also served as the CEO of her own successful companies throughout her professional career.
• Jacinda Goodwin
  Jacinda Goodwin currently works for the National Center for Homeless Education. Prior to that she served as the Maine State Homeless Education Coordinator for the Maine Department of Education and also oversaw Maine truancy, dropout and alternative education programs. She has a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from University of Maine at Farmington and a Master’s degree in clinical/behavioral psychology from UMass-Dartmouth.
• Dr. Melik Peter Khoury
  Currently the president of Unity College, Dr. Khoury’s has also held positions at Paul Smith’s College, Culver Stockton College, Upper Iowa University, and Unity College. Prior to joining the world of academia, Dr. Khoury was an international business executive, serving as Director of Euro-Gambian Trading (E.G.T.). He received a Doctorate in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maine, and his Baccalaureate from University of Maine Fort Kent.
• Hon. Nick Isgro
  Nick Isgro is the mayor of the City of Waterville, where he is a lifelong resident and lives with his wife and 5 children in the home that his grandfather built in 1960. Nick is also Controller at Skowhegan Savings Bank and is a board member and financial advisor for St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Oakland.
• Sean Ingram
  An Alabama native, Sean Ingram currently works for the Governor of Maine as a legislative policy coordinator. He formerly served Governor LePage in the office of Boards and Commission, an office responsible for recruiting and placing thousands of volunteer board and commission members for gubernatorial appointment.