Category: News & Views

U.S. Senate Youth Program Application Deadline is Oct. 17

The United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP), established in 1962, is a unique educational experience for outstanding high school students. Each year, two student leaders from each state, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity spend a week in Washington, D.C., experiencing their national government in action. Student delegates hear major policy addresses by senators, cabinet members, officials from the Departments of State and Defense and directors of other federal agencies. Delegates also participate in a meeting with a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. In addition, each delegate will be awarded a $10,000 college scholarship. All transportation, hotel and meal expenses are provided by the Hearst Foundations.

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Maine DOE accepting School Improvement Grant applications through December 14

The Maine Department of Education will once again be accepting applications for School Improvement Grant (SIG) funding during the 2016-17 school year. Grant awards made under this program could yield up to $1.5 million each to help close achievement gaps.

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Statements of Assurance and MEFS (Maine Educational Financial System) Financial Reconciliations (formerly MEDMS) due Nov. 1

Statements of assurance and MEFS (Maine Educational Financial System) Financial reconciliations, as required by Title 20-A MRSA 6051 §4, are due by November 1, 2016. Any adjustments identified by these reconciliations should be submitted to MEDMS Financial by November 30, 2016.

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State agency client students in crisis placements

The Maine DOE previously (1/22/14) issued guidance with respect to students in crisis placements. That guidance applies as well to students who are hospitalized as a result of a mental health crisis, i.e., those students remain enrolled in their home SAUs, which SAUs remain responsible for providing educational services to them. In the case of a state agency client student in crisis who is expected to return to the same placement after stabilization, the SAU where the placement is located will continue to have educational responsibility. Where, however, the state agency client student (who is not also a state ward) is not expected to return to the same placement, typically because that facility has discharged the student, then the educational responsibility reverts to the SAU of the student’s parents’ residence. The student will remain a state agency client providing that the intention is to place the student outside the home after stabilization; should the intention become to return the student to the parents’ home after stabilization, the student would lose state agency client status and should be enrolled in the home SAU. For state wards, the SAU where the student resided prior to going into crisis remains educationally responsible until such time as the student is placed in another SAU.

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A message for superintendents in partnership with Head Start, child care and private preschool programs

To date, there has been some confusion around public preschool teachers with Conditional 081 Early Childhood Teacher Certification who have been hired and are employed by a partnering program-e.g. Head Start, child care and/or a private preschool. At this time, the Maine DOE Certification Office offers district leaders two choices:  1) The superintendent must sign the affidavit of Conditional Certification; OR 2) Only teachers with a professional 081 can be hired by the partnering agency.

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Maine DOE offers 2017 performance evaluation and professional growth mini-booster grants to SAUs

In an effort to continue assisting school administrative units (SAUs) in their performance evaluation and professional growth (PEPG) development the Maine Department of Education is offering mini-booster grants of $1,500 for the purpose of continual development and implementation of PEPG systems. The grants will be available to all Maine districts that operate a school.

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NEO Transportation Upgrade and EFT-24 Vehicle Mileage and Operations Report due date extension

The due date for the year-end EFT-24 Vehicle Mileage and Operations Report has been extended to December 31, 2016. MRSA 20-A section 6801-A provides statutory authority to withhold subsidy until reports are received.

NEO Transportation data system upgrades are scheduled to launch mid-October and early-December. The upgrades are designed to make the system easier to use and provide transportation reports.  Districts that have not been able to enter new vehicle inventory data, EFT-24 report data, or both should enter vehicle inventory and EFT-24 data as soon as possible to avoid the end of year rush. Districts that have successfully entered new vehicle inventory data and completed year-end FY16 data in the EFT-24 report do not need to do anything.

For further information about transportation reports and instructions to enter data visit the Maine DOE Reporting Calendar at http://www.maine.gov/doe/reporting/calendar.shtml. Information about school transportation is located on the Maine DOE School Transportation website at http://maine.gov/doe/transportation/.

For policy questions regarding school transportation, contact the Maine DOE’s Transportation and Facilities Administrator Pat Hinckley at pat.hinckley@maine.gov.

For assistance with access to the NEO data system, contact the Maine DOE helpdesk atmedms.helpdesk@maine.gov.

Three Maine schools named National Blue Ribbon Schools by United States Department of Education

Falmouth Middle School, Reeds Brook Middle School in Hampden, and Sea Road School in Kennebunk were among the 329 public and private schools across the country this week named 2016 National Blue Ribbon Schools by U.S. Department of Education Secretary John King.

All three Maine schools were honored as “Exemplary High Performing Schools.”

“To be named a National Blue Ribbon School, schools must meet strict criteria, and these three Maine schools deserve great credit for their dedication to the mission of educating our children. I commend the educators, parents, and students who all work to make these schools such proud examples of excellence in the state of Maine,” said Deputy Commissioner of Education William Beardsley.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools where students either achieve very high learning standards or are making notable improvements in closing the achievement gap.  The award affirms the hard work of students, educators, families and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging content.

More information about the National Blue Ribbon Schools program can be found at http://www2.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/index.html.