As part of a federal requirement, the Maine Department of Education submits to the U.S. Department of Education teacher shortage areas for designation, based on collected data and public input.  The U.S. DOE annually designates teacher shortage areas for purposes of deferment of loan repayments or reductions of teaching obligation.

The Department intends to propose the following as K-12 teacher shortage areas during the 2020-2021 school year:

• Early Elementary (K-3)
• Early Childhood (Pre-K)
• Teacher of Students with Disabilities
• French
• Spanish
• Health
• Theater
• English – Second Language
• CTE (Firefighter/EMT, Automotive Mechanics, Truck, Automotive Body Repair, Diesel Engine Mechanic, Carpentry, Marine Maintenance, Electrician, Computer Info Services, Machine Toll Oper/Shop, Weld Braze Solder, Building Maintenance, Plumbing, Agricultural Prod. Gen, Allied Health, Nursing Asst.)

The Maine Department of Education is committed to working with our schools to most accurately represent the needs and shortage areas across our state. We recognize the diverse geographic regions and varying conditions that comprise our public education system, and strive for equitable and accurate representation.

To provide input regarding a specific shortage area, or to propose additional shortage areas, please contact Stephanie Fyfe at stephanie.fyfe@maine.gov or (207)-624-6751.

WHAT: To kick off the 5^th annual Read to ME Challenge, Maine Department of Education’s Commissioner Pender Makin will read to kindergarten-2 students at Lincoln School in Augusta.  Joining the Commissioner will be Senator Matthew Pouliot and Representative Donna Doore.  Following her reading of Full, Full, Full of LOVE, Commissioner Makin will issue a challenge to others to participate in the 2020 Read to ME Challenge campaign.  This simple but powerful campaign challenges adults to read to children for 15 minutes, and to capture that moment via a photo or a video, and then post it on social media and challenge others to do the same. The Read to ME Challenge will run for the month of February, leading up to Read Across America Day on March 2, 2019.

WHEN: Monday, February 3, 2020 at 8:45 am

WHERE:
Lincoln School
30 Lincoln St, Augusta, ME 04330
Media are asked to check in at the main office upon arrival to sign in, get a badge, and directions to the event.

WHO: Students in Kindergarten through 2^nd Grade (ages 5 – 8 years old), their teachers, school and district administrators, and Commissioner Pender Makin.

For more information, please contact Maine Department of Education’s Director of Communications Kelli Deveaux at kelli.deveaux@maine.gov or (207) 624-6747.

For those school administrative units (SAUs) that experience unplanned emergency or weather-related school closures, this guidance outlines the process of scheduling or rescheduling school days in order to meet the required number of instructional days, and for requesting Commissioner waivers. The Department encourages SAUs to build extra snow days into their calendar in advance.

As a reminder, the requirement in statute is 175 instructional days for students in grades K-11, and 170 days for high school seniors. An instructional day is defined as a school day during which both students and teachers are present, either in a school or in another setting. A day consists of a minimum of 3 hours, and an average 5 hours of instructional time (time devoted to the teaching-learning process, not including extra-curricular activities, lunchtime, or recess) over any two-week period.

Rescheduling instructional time

Acceptable methods to reschedule classes include the following:

• • Rescheduling or shortening scheduled vacation
  • Postponing the scheduled school closing date
  • Conducting classes on weekends
  • Extending the school day:
    • Under Chapter 125 Section 6.02, subsection C, SAUs may schedule a one-hour extension of the school day for up to 25 days in a school year; 5 one-hour extensions may be counted as an additional school day. It is important for school boards that vote on revised calendars to notify the Commissioner’s office, particularly for SAUs that choose to extend the school day, as this option will alter the attendance counts for the unit.
    • A predetermined early/late release/start day may be extended; the extended time may count as an additional school day provided it equals 5 hours, as outlined above.
    • An extended day should not be greater than one hour more than a regular-length school day.
      
  • Developing alternative ways to make up school days missed due to weather or emergency closures, as long as they are incorporated into a plan that is approved by the Commissioner.
    • Plans will be considered by the Commissioner upon receipt and review of plan details.
  • Piloting a remote school day. No more than one remote learning pilot day may count currently toward the 175 instructional days required by law. SAUs are encouraged to share remote day experiences with the Department and other SAUs.
    • • Districts participating in this pilot complete[d] a short application, attesting to the assurances below:
        • • access and equity for all students in implementation of the day;
          • provision of FAPE for students with disabilities;
          • provision of free breakfast and lunch for qualifying students;
          • school board approval, and staff, family and community support:
          • honoring of all other existing legal requirements, including regional school calendar requirements under 20-A M.R.S. 4801 2-A
  • Important information: for schools that choose to pilot a remote day, or to extend the school day in lieu of attending additional days, please be aware that SAUs that participate in federal reimbursement for USDA food funding may be affected, and there is currently no related assistance for SAUs. Although it appears there may be future developments regarding this issue, currently USDA food funding is calculated based on the number of lunches served in the previous year. Therefore, if the SAU has less lunches served due to extending school days rather than going extra days in the 2019-2020 school year, it will result in less federal reimbursement for the meal program in the 2020-2021 school year. In addition, it is important to understand that, currently, implementing a remote school day may conflict with commitments under the USDA food program.For further information about the Child Nutrition Program, contact Walter Beasley, Maine DOE Director of Child Nutrition at (207) 624-6875 or Walter.Beesley@maine.gov.

  Requesting waivers

  In Chapter 125: Basic Approval Standards: Public Schools and School Administrative Units Section 6.01, subsections C (1) and (2), regulations state that the commissioner may waive the minimum school year requirements upon submission of a written request from the school board to the commissioner, and that waivers will be granted after school officials have exhausted all reasonable avenues for making up lost school days, and only in extraordinary circumstances. Waiver requests will be accepted in the Spring, when the danger of cancellations has lessened. There is no need for the school board to send a waiver request to the Commissioner unless the SAU cannot make up enough days to equal the required 175.

  For further information about rescheduling school days or requesting waivers, please view the Department’s updated School Approval Waivers page.

  For further questions or to notify the Department of the intent to file for a waiver please contact Pamela Ford-Taylor, Maine DOE School Enrollment Specialist at (207) 624-6617.

The amount of time young people spend in school provides an excellent opportunity to help improve the health status of children and adolescents. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed the School Health Profiles (SHP) as a tool to measure progress in the implementation of school policies and practices. Principals and Lead Health education Teachers in middle and high schools are given the survey every even year. The last survey was conducted in 2018.

Maine’s efforts in health education and physical education curriculum, aligned to the Maine Learning Results, have led to improvements in several major adolescent risk behaviors. As two examples, school programs have played a part in significantly reducing adolescent smoking and in increasing sexual abstinence. The next challenge will be to reduce use of electronic vapor products.

Maine has had an excellent response rate since the inception of the survey in 1996, and are thankful to all principals and lead health teachers who participate.

The 2020 School Health Profile (SHP) survey will be completed entirely online this year. Your participation and support in completing this year’s survey is greatly appreciated, as it is vital to the improvement of health-related policies and practices in Maine’s schools, and ultimately the health of students.