PRIORITY NOTICE: 2017-18 Enacted ED279 subsidy printouts now available

FY 2017-2018 ED 279 subsidy printouts, based on Public Law 2017 Ch. 284 are now available on the Department’s website: http://www.maine.gov/education/data/eps/epsmenu.htm

The 279 printouts reflect statutory changes to the funding formula as enacted by this legislation. (REMINDER: there will be a scheduled outage of the NEO system, where the 279s are available, from 7/13 – 7/17.)

A comparison of the State Contribution from the Not Yet Enacted Governor’s Recommended Funding Level to the Enacted Funding Level, is available at the following link: http://www.maine.gov/education/data/eps/fy18/index.html

As a reminder, Chapter 284, Part JJJJJJJ of the enacted budget bill contains language regarding required local action on the use of any increase in State subsidy. Please review this statutory language below and consult your school unit’s legal counsel should you need additional guidance. Please note that this section applies for both fiscal years 2017-18 and 2018-19.

Should you have questions regarding the subsidy printout, please contact the School Finance Team: tyler.backus@maine.gov; paula.b.gravelle@maine.gov; ida.batista@maine.gov

Public Law 2017 Ch. 284 PART JJJJJJJ

Sec. JJJJJJJ-4. 20-A MRSA §15690-A is enacted to read:

15690-A. Local action on increase in state share percentage Notwithstanding section 1485, subsection 5, this section applies to school budgets adopted for fiscal years 2017-18 and 2018-19.

Required reduction in local contribution. If the budget of a school administrative unit is based on assumptions that include an increase in state share, pursuant to section 15690, subsection 1, paragraph C, over the amount used in the most recent approved budget as the result of an increase in the state share of the school administrative unit’s total cost of funding public education from kindergarten to grade 12 under this chapter, the increase in state share must be used as follows.
Fifty percent of the increase in state share pursuant to section 15690, subsection 1, paragraph C that is attributable to the increase in the state share over the state share amount used in the most recent approved budget must be used to lower the school administrative unit’s local contribution to the total cost of funding public education from kindergarten to grade 12.
The remaining 50% may be used only to increase expenditures for school purposes in cost center categories approved by the local school board, increase the allocation of finances for a reserve fund or provide an additional amount to lower the required local contribution to the total cost of education.
Warrant. If the budget of the school administrative unit is based on assumptions that include an increase in state share, pursuant to section 15690, subsection 1, paragraph C, over the amount used in the most recent approved budget as the result of an increase in the state share of the school administrative unit’s total cost of funding public education from kindergarten to grade 12 under this chapter, an article in substantially the form in paragraph A must be used to authorize the use of the increase in state share for the expenditures specified in subsection 1, paragraph B after the requirements of subsection 1, paragraph A are met.
“Article…….: To see what sums will be appropriated for the following purposes from the amount of the anticipated increase in state share of the school administrative unit’s total cost of funding public education from kindergarten to grade 12 over the amount used in the most recent approved budget as the result of an increase in the state share of the school administrative unit’s total cost of funding public education from kindergarten to grade 12 under this chapter:

(1) (Amount appropriated) To increase expenditures for school purposes in cost center categories approved by the board (list of amounts by category should be provided);

(2) (Amount appropriated) To increase the allocation of finances in a reserve fund for the purpose of (name of reserve fund); and

(3) (Amount appropriated) To provide a decrease in the local contribution, as defined in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 15690, subsection 1, paragraph A or B, section 15690, subsection 2 or section 15690, subsection 3 for local property taxpayers for funding public education.”

If as a result of a vote on the article specified in paragraph A, subparagraph (3) a school administrative unit does not raise 100% of the required local contribution pursuant to section 15690, subsection 1, the school administrative unit may petition the commissioner to waive the required proration of the state share pursuant to section 15690, subsection 1, paragraph C.
If the article is approved by the voters at the budget meeting, the board of the school administrative unit may increase expenditures for the purposes approved in the article without holding a special budget meeting and budget validation referendum.

Sec. JJJJJJJ-5. Permitted use of additional funding for 2017-18 school budget. Notwithstanding the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 15690-A, for school budgets for the 2017-18 fiscal year only, articles approved by the voters that earmarked additional state funding contributions for increased expenditures for school purposes in fiscal year 2017-18 are permitted as approved.

2017 Commissioner’s Conference Survey

The Maine Department of Education is seeking feedback from superintendents and other administrators who attended the 2017 Commissioner’s Conference held in Bar Harbor on June 26th and June 27th.

Please take a few moments to fill out this 7 question survey:

2017 Commissioner’s Conference Survey »

For further questions or comments, contact Georgette Valliere at georgette.valliere@maine.gov or 207-624-6620.

Hall-Dale educator named 2017 Maine’s History Teacher of the Year

HTOY Photo The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History has named a Hall-Dale educator as Maine’s History Teacher of the Year. Karen Doughty graduated from the University of Maine in 1988. She has taught history at Wells Middle School, Lake Region High School, and in 2012, began her current assignment at Hall-Dale. Throughout her career, Doughty has brought her passion for history to her classroom by incorporating experiential, thought-provoking, creative, and hands-on activities into her lessons.

Doughty will receive a $1,000 honorarium, and the Hall-Dale school library will receive a core archive of American history books and Gilder Lehrman educational materials. Doughty will be invited to a 2018 Gilder Lehrman Teacher Seminar, a weeklong program that offers teachers daily discussions with eminent historians, visits to historic sites, and hands-on work with primary sources. She also has the opportunity to be selected as “National History Teacher of the Year” from a list of the 2017 state winners.

The Gilder Lehrman History Teacher of the Year Award highlights the importance of history education by honoring exceptional American history teachers from elementary school through high school. The award honors one exceptional K-12 teacher from each state, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense schools and U.S. territories.

Nominations can be made by a student, parent, colleague, supervisor, or other administrator familiar with the teacher’s work. For more information, visit www.gilderlehrman.org/nhtoy.

2016 Maine County Teachers of the Year create platform for local schools

The 2016 Maine County Teachers of the Year collaborated on a platform to promote the benefits and celebrate the successes of connecting classrooms to their communities.

The intent of the platform, Connecting Classrooms to Communities (ConnectC2C) is to share stories and projects that showcase strong community-classroom partnerships in Maine on an interactive website.

They invite all Maine local schools to share stories that highlight community connections.

Visit ConnectC2C Site to see the website and find out how to get involved.

For more information, contact the 2016 County Teachers of the Year point person Morgan Cuthbert at Morgan_Cuthbert@yarmouthschools.org.

MEDIA RELEASE: Finalists identified for Maine DOE regional, integrated high school facility pilot

Out of seven applications, three finalists have been selected to complete the final application, which is due at the end of the year.

Augusta, Maine – Commissioner Robert G. Hasson today announced that the Maine Department of Education (DOE) has authorized three applicants – consisting of partnerships between school districts and their CTE, higher education, and business partners – to move forward to complete part 2 of the application for an Integrated, Consolidated 9-16 Education Facility Pilot project.

The 3 projects that have been identified to complete part 2 are as follows:

Fort Kent Community High School and Valley Rivers Middle School (MSAD 27), Wisdom Middle/High School (MSAD 33), Madawaska Middle/High School, and St. John Valley Technology Center. The application seeks to combine the three high schools and create one high school and CTE center.
Dexter Regional High School (MSAD 46), Piscataquis Community Secondary School (MSAD 4/RSU 80), Forest Hills High School (RSU 82/MSAD 12), Greenville Consolidated School, and Tri-County Technical Center (TCTC). The application seeks to combine the two high schools and create a new high school and CTE center.
Houlton Middle/High School (RSU 29), Southern Aroostook High School (RSU 50), Katahdin High School (RSU 50), Hodgdon Junior/High School (RSU 70), East Grand School (RSU 84), and Region 2 School of Applied Technology. The application includes five schools, spanning three counties, and seeks to combine with Region 2 School of Applied Technology.

“As we have traveled the state to discuss this unique and innovative opportunity for regional collaboration and construction, we have seen communities embrace the opportunity to imagine new possibilities for higher student achievement,” said Commissioner Hasson. “It is my hope that the pilot project that is eventually selected will set a new standard for regional approaches to high school, for expanding access to career and technical education, and for higher education and industry partnerships.”

In January, Commissioner Hasson and the State Board of Education announced the opportunity for partnering districts to submit plans intended to create and/or upgrade education facilities integrated with a career and technical school, the University of Maine System, and the Maine Community College System. Prior to the application deadline, Commissioner Hasson and representatives from the Maine Department of Education’s school facilities team and the Office of the Governor held four statewide information sessions for interested school districts in Presque Isle, Biddeford, Bangor and Augusta.

Part 1 of the application focused primarily on identifying the partners in each project, it was due May 1, 2017, and was evaluated by a team at the Department of Education.

Each of the applicants advancing on to Part 2 will have six months to complete additional requirements including a more comprehensive proposal for each project, an overview of the proposed model, an overview of the technical and financial supports needed from the Department in order to fully develop and implement the model, and evidence of approval votes by the various partners involved.

Upon receipt, review, and rating of all Part 2 applications by the Maine Department of Education, final scores will be established by combining Part 1 & Part 2 scores, and will be used to present a recommendation to the State Board of Education. The Department reserves the right to recommend more than one final project or to reject all applications.

Once the successful pilot project is identified and selected, the Department of Education intends to provide funds for required planning work associated with the development of the project (facilitation, legal, start up, referendum, etc.). Decisions about renovation, and/or expansion or building a new facility will be made during this planning phase.

“The recently passed budget makes a firm commitment to unlocking regional possibilities,” said Commissioner Hasson. “Based on the creativity and energy we have seen around this new program, I believe local communities will rise to the occasion and set a new standard for what they can achieve working together.”

The 3 projects will move forward with the next round of the application process, which involves work sessions with the Maine DOE and a December 29, 2017 due date.

More information about the pilot can be found on the Maine DOE’s Integrated, Consolidated 9-16 Education Facility Pilot web page.

For more information contact: Rachel Paling at (207) 624-6747 or rachel.paling@maine.gov

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FY 2018 Gifted and Talented program application now available

The FY2018 annual gifted and talented program and budget approval application is now available on the Maine DOE webite. The deadline for submission is Sept. 30, 2017. All school administrative units (SAU) are required to complete a renewal application, initial application, or waiver request.

Detailed instructions, the renewal application, the initial application, and a waiver request are available on the Department’s Gifted and Talented website.

Gifted and talented educational programs serve students who excel or demonstrate the potential to excel beyond their peers in terms of general intellectual ability, a specific academic aptitude or artistic ability. The Department requires schools identify and service gifted and talented students. A comprehensive, K-12 gifted and talented program ensures such students are provided with challenging curriculum commensurate with their abilities.

As a reminder, gifted and talented programs approved during FY2018 are for FY2020 funding.

If you have questions about the forms, please contact Maine DOE’s School Finance Coordinator Ida Batista at gt.doe@maine.gov or 624-6795.

PRIORITY NOTICE: Restraint and Seclusion Overview and Awareness Information Course Available

In partnership with SafeSchools, the Maine DOE is providing a course to all Maine schools that is an overview of Chapter 33: Rule Governing Physical Restraint and Seclusion at no cost to the local school system.

In accordance with Chapter 33, “Annually, each covered entity shall provide overview and awareness information to all staff, including contracted providers, regarding the content of this rule and any local policies or procedures related to the use of physical restraint and seclusion” (Chapter 33, Section 4.2).

SafeSchools and Maine DOE collaborated to create this 25 minute, web based course specifically to address Chapter 33.

This course meets the Chapter 33 requirement of “annual notification of rule and local policies” (Section 4.2).
This course DOES NOT meet the requirement of having “a sufficient number of administrators or designees, general and special education staff, maintain certification in an approved training” (Section 12).

For approved trainings, visit http://www.maine.gov/doe/school-safety/restraints/approved.html

The Restraint and Seclusion Overview and Awareness Information Course can be presented in a small or large group setting, or on an individual basis. All staff of a “covered entity” receive individual logins. A description of this customized course can be found on SafeSchools’ Maine Courses page.

safeschoolslogo Sarah Ricker, Student Assistance Coordinator, oversees guidance to schools and parents in regards to Chapter 33. Her work in creating this course with SafeSchools addresses the importance of ensuring that all teachers and administrators have consistent and accurate knowledge of Chapter 33 requirements so all students and staff feel safe and welcoming in their learning environment.

Download the Restraint and Seclusion Overview and Awareness Information Course flier here.

To register staff for the Restraint and Seclusion Overview and Awareness Information Course, contact Justin Moore at SafeSchools. He can be reached by calling 1-800-434-0154, ext 7028 or emailing at jmoore@safeschools.com.

Scheduled outage of NEO Information System: 7/13 – 7/17

The Maine Department of Education’s NEO Information system will be down for routine maintenance from July 13 – July 17. The scheduled outage is taking place so that staff can make necessary updates to the system.

Users will not be able to use the system or enter information from July 13 through July 17. It is expected to be back up on July 18. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause during the outage period.

If you have questions, please contact Shannon Bartash at 624-6799 or Shannon.bartash@maine.gov or contact the Help Desk at 624-6896 or MEDMS.Helpdesk@maine.gov.

Statement about the 2017-18 budget and how it will affect ED279s

As you likely know by now, the biennial budget was enacted on July 4, 2017, and included finalized funding levels for 2017-18 State school subsidies (Public Law 2017 Ch. 284 Part C). While the Department appreciates that school districts and local governments are eager for updated funding projections for each district, it is important to note that this legislation includes a number of statutory changes to the formula that will take time to incorporate into the ED279 computer system. The estimated date that new ED279s subsidy printouts will be available is no later than July 21. As soon as these are available, a statement will be issued when the printouts have been posted to ED279 website at http://www.maine.gov/doe/eps/

The Department’s School Finance staff is working as quickly as possible, however they will need time to perform the necessary quality control steps to ensure that the amount for each school administrative unit is accurate.

It has come to our attention that other organizations have attempted to predict the amount of increase for each SAU. We caution you that these may not be accurate as they likely do not account for the formula changes that were enacted in Ch. 284. Only department issued amounts, which will be available on the ED279s when they are ready, should be used for budgeting purposes.

Also, please be aware that there is language in Ch. 284 Part JJJJJJJ of the enacted budget bill regarding the local action on any increase in their State subsidy and the use of the increased funds relating to requirements for reduction in local contribution and limitations on use of funds for increased expenditures. Please note that this section applies for both fiscal years 2017-18 and 2018-19 and may be found on page 817 of the budget bill, at the link below.

PL 2017 Ch. 284: http://legislature.maine.gov/ros/LawsOfMaine/breeze/Law/getDocById/?docId=57293

Please be assured that the Department is acutely aware of the need for updated information as soon as possible, and appreciates the difficulty that the delayed enactment of the state’s biennial budget has created on the local budgeting process for schools and municipalities. Our staff is committed to working as quickly as possible to provide you with the accurate information you need to finalize your budget. Thank you for your patience during this time.

RFP issued for Translation and Subscription Services to Provide Unlimited Access to Multi-Language Forms

The Maine Department of Education is seeking proposals for subscription services to provide unlimited remote access to all Maine School Administrative Units (SAUs) for the collection of ESSA Parent Notifications and forms to assist Maine’s SAUs in meeting ESSA compliance requirements. These documents must be available in English with translations in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Portuguese, Vietnamese, and Somali, with opportunities for additional languages to be added. The Department and SAUs must have the ability to upload locally created documents. These documents must be available to download and print onto State or local letterhead.

A copy of the RFP, as well as the Question & Answer Summary and all amendments related to this RFP, can be obtained at the following website: http://www.maine.gov/purchases/venbid/rfp.shtml

Proposals must be submitted to the State of Maine Division of Purchases, located at the Burton M. Cross Office Building, 111 Sewall Street – 4th Floor, Augusta, ME 04330. Proposals must be submitted by 4:00 pm, local time, on July 25, 2017, when they will be opened. Proposals not received at the Division of Purchases’ aforementioned address by the aforementioned deadline will not be considered for contract award.