A MaineCare billing guide for school-based services is now available here. The guide was created by the Department of Health and Human Services with input from Maine DOE and other stakeholders.
Additional resources related to MaineCare school-based services are also available on the MaineCare in Education webpage. All questions relating to MaineCare school-based services can be directed to MaineCareinEducation.DHHS@maine.gov.
Augusta – The next meeting of the Commission to Reform Public Education Funding and Improve Student Performance in Maine will be held on Monday, Oct. 31 at 9:00 a.m. at the University of Maine Presque Isle’s MMG Center for Professional Development. Interested parties may also attend the meeting via video conference at the Maine Department of Education, which is located at 111 Sewall Street in Augusta.
A copy of the meeting agenda and documents relating to the Commission’s work will be posted here as they are made available.
Additionally, members of the public who wish to submit comments or ideas about public education issues for consideration by the Commission may do so here. Comments submitted through the website will be distributed to members of the Commission.
The Commission to Reform Public Education Funding and Improve Student Performance in Maine was created by LD 1641 which allocated an additional $15 million in education funding for local schools. Based on the Commission’s work, a report to the Governor and the Legislature will be submitted by Jan. 10, 2017 that includes findings and recommendations for action to reform public education funding and improve student performance in the state.
________________
Contact:
Jamie Logan
Communications Director
624-6747
jamie.e.logan@maine.gov
A new version of the NEO Transportation application will launch Friday, Oct. 28. This release includes new features intended to make bus data management easier, a clean-up of features rolled out in the initial release, and an edit of features available to districts.
A ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ (FAQs) link has been added to the home page of the transportation application. The FAQs provide instructions to guide people through correct steps and buttons to complete a function. These FAQ instructions also describe some of the codes and statuses used in the new application.
The new transportation features include:
Before you begin using the new version of NEO Transportation it is important that you consult the FAQ section in the transportation section on the NEO dashboard. Instructions are included with answers to the FAQs.
If you have questions about transportation policy, please contact Maine DOE’s Transportation and Facilities Administrator, Pat Hinckley, at pat.hinckley@maine.gov.
Augusta – Maine schools eligible to receive funding under the school improvement grant program (SIG) are invited to apply for funding from the $3 million in funding Maine has received from the U.S. Department of Education. In Maine, schools categorized as “priority” under the State’s Title I accountability system are eligible to apply.
“I encourage eligible schools to consider applying for this grant funding. This is an opportunity for schools to receive purposefully focused additional funds to improve their achievement and opportunity goals for students,” said Deputy Commissioner of Education Bill Beardsley.
The U.S. Department of Education recently announced that Maine will receive a $1.5 million federal award in addition to the $1.5 million award the state received in July. Funding through the SIG program will be distributed to schools through a competitive application process and will be based on the number of applications received and approved by the Maine Department of Education.
Last year, the Maine DOE issued a $1.6 million SIG award to Washburn Elementary School. These funds are currently supporting Washburn Elementary’s objectives to raise student proficiency in math by 30 percent and reading by 35 percent over the five-year grant award.
As part of the application process, eligible school districts who may be interested in the pursuit of a SIG are also asked to provide the Department with an Intent to Apply form by 4 p.m. on October 31, 2016. Applications from eligible school districts are due by 4 p.m. on December 14, 2016. School officials who have questions about the SIG program or who would like to obtain a copy of the Maine DOE LEA SIG application and the Intent to Apply form should contact Travis Doughty, Maine DOE’s Federal Grant Coordinator, at travis.w.doughty@maine.gov.
More information about the SIG program is available at http://www.maine.gov/doe/sig/.
Media inquiries should be directed to Jamie Logan, Maine DOE’s Director of Communications, at 624-6747 or jamie.e.logan@maine.gov.
It is the intent of the Maine Department of Education to propose requirements for telepractitioner qualifications in a future revision of Chapter 101 (MUSER). Until that revision is made, this message should serve as notice that in the interim, the Department will expect all telepractitioners to be (1) licensed in the state from which they are practicing if an out of state practitioner, (2) licensed in Maine, and (3) cleared through the Criminal History Record Check process (CHRC). Questions should be directed to Jan Breton, Maine DOE’s Director of Special Services, at janice.breton@maine.gov or 207-624-6676.
Attendance matters! Upcoming regional meetings sponsored by Maine DOE and Count ME In will be held in Bangor on November 1, Lewiston on November 3, and Augusta on November 9. Attendees will hear schools share effective strategies as well as a presentation on trauma and pain-based behaviors. Sessions are free but registration is required. To learn more, visit www.countmeinmaine.org.
Attendance matters because early absences can affect later achievement, since students can miss some of the key building blocks for learning. Also, absences add up more quickly than people realize, given that just two days a month can mean 18 absences a year.
To register, send an email that includes your specific location choice to slieberman@countmeinmaine.org.
Administrative Letter Number: 5
Policy Code: BG/CH
To: Superintendents of Schools, Business Managers/Bookkeepers
From: William H. Beardsley, Deputy Commissioner
Date: October 24, 2016
Re: Special Purpose Private School Tuition Rates
Pursuant to 20-A M.R.S. §7302, the Maine Department of Education Special Services team has established rates for the 2017 state fiscal year.
Special purpose private schools shall only bill for education costs for those days when a child is in attendance.
These rates are retroactive to the beginning of the fiscal year. Rates were determined by analyzing expenditure report budgets submitted for the previous year for all special purpose private schools and represent the maximum amount each special purpose private school may charge per day. Please click here to view a PDF version of the current complete rate chart. If there are further questions or concerns regarding this matter, please contact: Edward Fournier, Coordinator of Finance and Data – Special Services, at edward.fournier@maine.gov or 624-6845 or Jonathan Braff, Coordinator for State Agency Clients, at jonathan.braff@maine.gov or 624-6671.
A revision has been made to quarterly report review dates, which include truancy, behavior, bullying, and aggregate daily attendance and aggregate daily membership (ADA/ADM).
Continue reading “Important Notice: Technical issues delay due date for quarterly review”
The Maine Department of Education is accepting applications for new school buses through the annual School Bus Purchase Program. The application process opens Nov. 1 and closes Nov. 25.
Continue reading “Annual School Bus Purchase Program opens November 1”
On Oct. 7, during a statewide learning conference at Lewiston Regional Technical Center, Vicki Kimball was named Maine’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) Teacher of the Year. She accepted the award in front of nearly 500 colleagues.
Continue reading “Vicki Kimball Named CTE Teacher of the Year”
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