School bus refurbishment: shorter subsidy turnaround in August

Fiscal Year 2012-13 subsidy is available when districts contract school bus refurbishment by August 31, 2012.

Typically, districts receive subsidy during the fiscal year following the contract. However, contracts signed during August 2012 will receive subsidy in the current fiscal year. Continue reading “School bus refurbishment: shorter subsidy turnaround in August”

Student-produced video a finalist in film festival

Still image from The Domino Effect, an anti-bullying video created by Nancy Nickerson's fourth grade class at South School Elementary.
Still image from The Domino Effect, an anti-bullying video created by Nancy Nickerson’s fourth grade class at South School Elementary.

Nancy Nickerson’s fourth grade students at South Elementary School in Rockland were recently recognized as finalists for their short film at the 35th annual Maine Student Film and Video Festival in Waterville.

Her students created an anti-bullying video titled The Domino Effect, for which they acted, directed, edited, and wrote the script. When the film aired as part of the Maine International Film Festival on July 21, Nickerson’s students traveled to the Waterville Opera House for the premiere.

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Minimum teacher salary supplement repealed

Effective with the 2012-13 school year, Public Law 2011 Chapter 477 Part D (LD 1816) has repealed the Minimum Teacher Salary Supplement (20-A MRSA §15689 sub-§7 and sub-§8 have been repealed).  This action by the legislature repealed the law that had required the State to provide the funding to school administrative units to pay the difference between the locally established salary and the statutory minimum amount of $30,000.

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Commissioner Stephen Bowen’s remarks at July 25 news conference

The following are Commissioner Stephen Bowen’s remarks from today’s joint news conference with Gov. Paul LePage. Please see the fact sheet for more information about the Harvard study.

Good afternoon, and thank you, Governor, for your attention to this important report and for your commitment to the education of Maine’s kids.

Continue reading “Commissioner Stephen Bowen’s remarks at July 25 news conference”

Fact sheet: Educational progress in Maine and the Harvard study

Graph: Average Reading Scores for State/Jurisdiction and Nation (public)

Questions and answers

Can test scores tell you whether a school is good or bad?
No school should be labeled based solely on test scores, and we are not doing that here, either. Test scores – and the growth in test scores – are one valuable and important measure of progress. As a state, Maine is not showing any significant progress in test scores while other states are. This should be a significant concern to anyone interested in the education and future success of our students.

Continue reading “Fact sheet: Educational progress in Maine and the Harvard study”

Gov. LePage and Commissioner Bowen hold joint news conference on education

Governor LePage and Commissioner Bowen discuss educational system
Governor LePage and Commissioner Bowen answer questions about Maine’s rankings in a recent education study released by Harvard University.

The following is a news release from the Office of Gov. Paul LePage.

AUGUSTA – Governor Paul LePage and Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen held a joint media conference today in the Cabinet Room at the State Capitol to discuss the results of a recent study released by Harvard University’s Program on Education Policy and Governance. Gov. LePage and Commissioner Bowen explained these results and what they mean for Maine. They also unveiled a new initiative to revitalize Maine’s educational system: the ABC plan.

Continue reading “Gov. LePage and Commissioner Bowen hold joint news conference on education”