Thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey! Results should be available by December. In the meantime, a newly available one-page fact sheet on the relationship between Academic Performance and Student Health Risks is available. This fact sheet highlights findings from the 2013 Academic Performance and Student Health Risk-Technical Report.
Continue reading “Fact sheet highlights academic performance and student health risk”
Secondary and middle school students in the Maine FFA Association (formerly known as “Future Farmers of America”) celebrated numerous accomplishments during the annual state convention held on May 14-15 at the University of Maine.
Continue reading “Maine FFA students celebrate accomplishments at 85th annual state convention”
Beginning July 1 school nutrition program directors will be required to meet new hiring standards as a result of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) recent ruling establishing national professional standards for all school nutrition employees.
Continue reading “Hiring standards for school nutrition program directors take effect July 1”
The Maine DOE is promoting the Elevating and Celebrating Effective Teaching and Teachers (ECET2) summit at Colby College in Waterville on August 6-7.
Continue reading “Maine DOE announces teacher leadership summit”
LD 131 “An Act To Amend the Laws Related to Public Funding of Charter Schools” was signed May 8, 2015 by Governor LePage. Under the new law Maine DOE will make monthly payments directly to approved public charter schools starting in FY16, the same way the Department has long distributed funds to traditional public school districts.
Continue reading “Governor LePage signs charter school funding fix”
The Maine DOE is seeking feedback on Maine’s proposed Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Waiver Renewal application. The application, with documented changes to the original application, demonstrates how the State’s current accountability and improvement system is implemented to serve Maine’s students and schools while outlining future implementation of the ESEA Flexibility Waiver over the next three years.
Continue reading “Department seeks feedback on ESEA waiver renewal”
The deadline to submit the National Center and State Collaborative Alternate Assessment (NCSC), used to assess students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in mathematics and English language arts is this Friday, May 15.
Continue reading “Alternate assessment for math, ELA closing May 15”
If your school submitted an application for the 30th Annual Maine Schoolsite Health Promotion Program “Wellness” Conference to the Maine DOE but has not yet received a confirmation email with a congratulatory letter, team registration form and Spring Team Leaders’ Meeting information, please contact the Department’s Susan Berry at susan.berry@maine.gov.
Last week the Maine DOE was represented along with hundreds of library supporters in Washington, D.C. to speak with their legislators about the importance of libraries.
Under MUSER §IV.4.E(3), the Maine DOE is responsible for the costs of special education services provided to state agency clients and pays those costs directly to the providing agency or person.
The Maine DOE, however, is not in the best position to assess whether invoices for such services are properly payable, i.e., they request payment for services of a kind and in an amount specified in the student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP).
Beginning July 1 all of the Department’s contracts with agencies and persons providing special education services will stipulate that invoices are to be sent to the school administrative unit (SAU) responsible for the student. The SAU will review those invoices to determine whether they are properly payable as described, and will forward to the Maine DOE any invoice which the SAU finds is properly payable.
The special education administrator will sign each such invoice signifying that the invoice has been reviewed and approved for payment. Invoices should be scanned and emailed to Beth Vieta at beth.vieta@maine.gov.
Any questions concerning an invoice should be resolved by the SAU with the agency or person submitting the invoice.
For more information or if you have questions about this issue, please contact Jonathan Braff at the Maine DOE at jonathan.braff@maine.gov or 624-6671.
