School Administrative Units (SAU) that canceled school days due to circumstances surrounding the recent storm should treat those cancelations the same as any other weather related school cancelation.

The state of emergency issued by the State of Maine was expressly to provide utility work crews relief from federal highway regulations in order to restore power to those who have been impacted – it does not result in an automatic excusal of missed school days.

As part of the standard procedure for meeting requirements for instructional days, written requests for waivers for storm days may be submitted by the district school board in the Spring when districts have a better sense of storm days used.

Resources:

• Guidance about rescheduling and requesting waivers for storm days.
• Statute governing school days. The guidance regarding Instruction Days can be found in Rule Chapter 125, 6.01 and 6.02.

The Maine Department of Education responds, point-by-point, to a recent article in the Sun Journal that contains numerous inaccuracies about regionalization. Many stakeholders agree that finding efficiencies through regionalization efforts is a good idea for students and school communities. We hope that our clarifications will allow the positive conversations to continue.

KINGFIELD — The Regional School Unit 58 board of directors faced a no-win situation, deciding to accept a Maine Department of Education $31,000 penalty, rather than partnering with another school district to develop a regional service center.

The state has provided a highly flexible, locally-driven regionalization opportunity that every district should be able to participate in and thereby receive the incentive funds.

The problem wasn’t that the district couldn’t find a partner district and develop a plan, Superintendent Susan Pratt told the board Thursday night. The problem was that they were facing a six-week deadline to find another school willing and ready to form a long-term agreement without receiving any guidance from the state. 

The current deadline is only for regional centers slated to be operational as of July 1, 2018. In these cases, in order for the Department to include the incentive funding for the 2018-19 school year, we must stick to a tight timeline. Districts can pursue a regional partnership for 2019 or later if the current deadline is not feasible. Also, while the regional partnerships are meant to be long-term and durable, the programs and services can start small and be expanded over time.

She and other district administrators attended a Sept. 8 presentation at the Augusta Civic Center hosted by the Maine School Management Association and the Drummond Woodsum law firm. The MDOE proposal was reviewed and explained, but she waited nearly another month for the actual MDOE application form to become available online, she said.

“I just got the application last Friday,” she said.

The application has been divided into two sections; Part I is due by November 30, and Part II is due by April 15. The first part, which asks for concept-level information, allows districts to notify the Department of their intent to form a regional center. The second part asks for a longer, more detailed plan, including the interlocal agreement.

Similar to consolidation efforts begun by former Commissioner of Education Susan Gendron in January 2008, the MDOE’s goal is to save money by reducing the administrative costs and to take advantage of shared services, including transportation, special education, professional development and financial services.

The Department’s goal is more precisely to improve educational services for students. This can be achieved by repurposing savings to enhance existing educational programs or to develop new programs, which can save more money in the long run by better serving students.

Gendron’s plan was to reduce the number of school districts and local school committees from 290 to 26 by July 2008. Many districts chose to pay penalties rather than give up local control, and by July 2008, 215 individual school districts remained.

The state is not asking districts to pay penalties; we are giving districts who regionalize additional funding. This is not mere semantics. All districts will see incremental reductions in state funding for district-level administration as a result of legislation prompted by the Citizens Initiative. These reductions will occur regardless of whether a district participates in a regional center. At the same time, however, more state money will be directed to teaching and learning; this along with other changes in the biennial budget will result in nearly all districts in the state seeing significant increases in funding. Forming a regional center is an opportunity to earn an extra incentive allotment.

With this 2017 regional services plan, Pratt explained, each new interlocal partnership in the state would have to screen and hire its own executive director, who would not be part of the Maine State Retirement System.

The Department believes that it is in the best interest of regional center members to define the role of the executive director based on the services provided, and to retain local control over hiring an executive director.

The MDOE will pay for 55 percent of the employee’s salary and related financial expenses, but the partnering districts will be responsible for benefits and obligations that are as yet unknown, Pratt said. Without the MDOE providing guidance for the executive director’s job description, she said, each interlocal partnership’s new board would have to that job on its own. 

These details all have to be decided before the new partner districts can send the application to the MDOE, Pratt said.

Chapter 123 of the biennial budget states that the State will pay 55% percent of the executive director’s salary and benefits. The Department is actively looking into addressing concerns about participation in MEPERS for employees of regional centers.

The MDOE has awarded grants in 2017 to encourage cost-saving initiatives. Enabling Maine Students to Benefit from Regional and Coordinated Approaches to Education, known by the acronym EMBRACE, was launched in response to Executive Order 2017-001, issued by Gov. Paul LePage, for promoting Regional Efforts to Achieve Efficiencies in Delivering Educational Services. 

Although Pratt said she agrees with LePage’s goal of sharing resources with other districts, RSU 58 already does something similar. The district is part of the Western Maine Educational Collaborative, which provides its 13 member school systems with opportunities to share professional development, purchasing power and educational resources.

The MDOE plan would not recognize the nonprofit WMEC as a regional services partner, Pratt said.

The Western Maine Education Collaborative is a great model for a regional center. We do not know the source of the information that the WMEC would not quality as a regional center if it meets the requirements. It’s possible that this misunderstanding is a result of confusing the regional center opportunity with the Fund for the Efficient Delivery of Educational Services (FEDES) grant, a separate regionalization opportunity. WMEC could not be the main applicant for the FEDES grant; however, they could be part of a regionalization project as a contracted service provider.

The board approved delaying any partnership plans with other school districts and accepting the $46-per-student penalty for the coming budget year. 

Districts that do not form interlocal partnerships in 2018-19 will pay a $92-per-student penalty.

Some neighboring school districts’ boards have not even seen the MDOE plan, Pratt said, and she’s hearing that many superintendents and school boards are voting not to participate in the governor’s mandate.

Many school boards rely on their superintendents and association to inform their decisions. To support the dissemination of accurate information, the Department launched its EMBRACE information center shortly after the biennial budget was passed and continues to add and update information. Many of the resources added to our website are in response to conversations that superintendents have had with Commissioner Hasson and his team during the Commissioner’s Continuing the Conversation Tour. Several districts are eager to begin discussions and have requested one of our trained expert facilitators to help potential partners brainstorm and plan. School Board members and others are encouraged to visit the site to learn about the funding opportunities and be inspired by the exciting regional programs other districts have implemented in the first round of EMBRACE initiatives.

Please feel free to contact Jennifer Pooler, Regionalization Project Manager, to set up a meeting or ask questions. And we encourage you to meet the Commissioner at the 44^th Annual MSMA Fall Conference and attend the Department’s clinic on Friday, Embracing Regionalization: The Options. We welcome all conversations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a reminder, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) has announced a partnership with TransACT Communications to support compliance with the new Parent and Family Engagement requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and to help schools meet the civil rights obligations of schools in working with English Learners (EL) and their families. TransACT Parent Notices gives you unlimited access to an online library of ESSA compliance resources. Your subscription, funded by the Maine DOE, includes access to guidance on required notifications, recommended timelines for distribution, and more than 100 legally reviewed parent notifications across 21 categories, including:

• Parent and Family Engagement
• Teacher and Paraprofessional Qualifications
• English Learners
• Title I and Title III Programs
• Migrant Education
• Homeless Education
• Foster Care

TransACT will be providing schools with professional development and training including online live help, phone and email support, webinar trainings, and two (2) in-person trainings.  These trainings will be held on November 2nd in Lewiston at Green Ladle and on November 3rd in Brewer at Jeff’s Catering. Please visit the following URL to register for one of these in-person trainings:  https://goo.gl/forms/3AxrjYdOmU2rkTb62

At the time of this notice, your district subscription to TransACT is live.  If you need to distribute required parent notifications prior to next month’s training or simply wish to explore this new resource, please follow the instructions below to activate your district subscription:

1. Visit http://www.transact.com/;
2. Click on “LOGIN/REGISTER” at the top of the screen; 3. Find the TransACT ParentNotices logo and click the “Login” link below it;
3. Click “New User? Register for Access!” and continue with the required information prompts; 5. Discover what new resources are available to you! You will receive a registration confirmation email which includes the login link, your username, and password. If you have any questions or run into any trouble, please be sure to contact TransACT Customer Support at (425) 977-2100, option 3, or via email at support@transact.com.

If you have additional questions, please contact Janette Kirk at Janette.kirk@maine.gov or (207) 624-6707.

The Maine Department of Education, the Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission (MIC3), and the Maine State Approving Agency for Veterans Education sponsor the following message:

Some of your high school students may be eligible for thousands of dollars of GI Bill benefits while attending high school.

Maine has nearly 130,000 veterans, many of whom have service-related disability ratings from the Veterans Administration or have suffered a service-related death.

If a veteran has a 100% Permanent and Total service-related disability rating, or is deceased as a result of military service, their spouse and children may qualify for Dependents Educational Assistance. This is also known as Chapter 35 of the GI Bill.

Many are aware that this benefit can be used for colleges, trade schools, adult education programs, and apprenticeship programs. However, many are unaware that an eligible child can use these same benefits while attending high school, once the child reaches the age of 18.

The Chapter 35 benefit currently pays more than $1,000 per month (full time rate). The benefit is non-taxable. Additionally, up to five months of benefits can be used while in high school without being charged against the basic 45 months of full-time eligibility. This benefit often provides an amazing “nest egg” to cover day to day household costs or additional costs associated with obtaining a post-secondary education.

The real challenge is identifying these people and putting them in contact with an agency to assist them through the paperwork. The Maine State Approving Agency for Veterans Education can assist eligible family members and school officials with completing the necessary paperwork. But they need help in identifying those who are eligible. There is no “magic list” identifying eligible veterans and their family members. That’s where our school partners can help.

If you become aware that a high school student may qualify for this benefit, worth over $50,000, please have them contact Robert Haley of The Maine State Approving Agency for Veterans Education at 207-582-2100 or via email at Robert.haley@maine.edu.

 

As a reminder, the Maine Department of Education’s new online certification system, Maine Certification Information System (MCIS), is scheduled for a soft release to staff and educators at pilot schools, and will be available to administrators, and local support system chair people statewide on Monday, October 30th. MCIS is targeted to be available to all educators and the general public by mid-November.

MCIS will completely replace the Maine DOE’s current paper certification application system. Highlights include a simple account creation process, electronic notifications about actionable items for both educators and administrators, and the ability to pay fees online.

To help with the transition, the certification office will be closed to educators from 10/16/2017 – 10/27/2017. The office will re-open on Monday, October 30^th with MCIS fully operational for all staff at pilot schools, and to administrators, and local support system chair people statewide.

As a reminder, once MCIS is in place, educators and administrators will need to create an account in order to use the system. The Maine DOE’s Certification team will be sending out individual notices to the email addresses that are on file in the NEO staff system to initiate this process. Additional training and guidance will be forthcoming.

For more information contact Ángel Martínez Loredo at 207-624-6603 or email cert.doe@maine.gov.

TO:               Private School Administrators
FROM:          Dr. Robert G. Hasson, Jr., Maine Education Commissioner
DATE:           October 10, 2017
SUBJECT:     Reporting 2017-18 Student Information – Due Date October 31, 2017

The Synergy State edition is online for school year 2017-18 updates. The updated 2017-18 student information will be utilized to meet State and federal reporting requirements (Graduates, Dropouts, AYP, etc.) as well as the calculation of State subsidy for 2017-18 for Maine’s public school administrative units.

All private schools with publicly funded students must report all “publicly funded students” in the State of Maine’s Synergy State System. The private schools that receive publicly funded students must report these students in the Synergy State Education system in order for the public school administrative units to receive a subsidy count for these students in their future State subsidy. The State subsidy to a public school unit is often the source of funding that a school administrative unit uses to pay the tuition for these students to attend the private schools.

Student Enrollment Reporting – Due Date October 31, 2017:

October 1, 2017 Student Count – all publicly funded students should be enrolled in Synergy State Edition by October 31, 2017 so that the resident public school administrative units may review the data and verify the October 1st student count.

• For private schools enrolling “ALL” students in the Synergy System, please fax (1-866-219-8344) or mail the completed Signature Page of the October 1st Enrollment Report (EF-M-13) indicating that all students have been enrolled in the State Education system. There will be no need to complete the remainder of the EF-M-13.
• For private schools enrolling only publicly funded students in the State Education system, please complete the October 1st Enrollment Report (EF-M-13 – Sections 2 and 3 only) and email the Excel spreadsheet form to the Department at GPA.DOE@maine.gov. In addition, please fax the completed Signature Page to 1-866-219-8344.
• For private schools that have no publicly funded students, please complete the October 1st Enrollment Report (EF-M-13 – Sections 2 and 3) for the non-publicly funded students and email the Excel spreadsheet form to the Department at GPA.DOE@maine.gov. In addition, please fax the completed Signature Page to 1-866-219-8344.

The EF-M-13 Form can be downloaded from the Department of Education’s website at:
http://www.maine.gov/education/forms/misteam/enrollment/october/octprv.htm

60% Publicly Funded Private Schools

These 11 private schools must complete both the EF-M-13 and the EPS October Enrollment Certifications.

If you have any questions regarding the Synergy State Edition please contact the MEDMS Help Desk at (207) 624-6896 or e-mail medms.helpdesk@maine.gov.

If you have any general student questions, please contact Travis Wood at (207) 624-6742 or e-mail travis.wood@maine.gov.

After careful review of all oral and written comments received by the Maine DOE regarding proposed rule Chapter 134, Regulations for Awarding a High School Diploma, the Maine DOE has made the decision to withdraw the current proposed rule and restart the rulemaking process after a brief pause for conceptual conversations. The conceptual conversations will provide an opportunity to explore areas needing greater clarity in the current proposed rule Chapter 134. The Maine DOE remains committed to the proficiency-based diploma law (20-A MRS 4722-A) and remains committed to drafting a proposed rule that supports the implementation of a diploma based on evidence of proficiency.

The Department intends to start a new rulemaking process for proposed rule Chapter 134 once the following steps have been taken:

1.) During the month of October, Maine DOE’s Proficiency-based Education (PBE) Specialist will reach out to professional organizations to invite representatives from each of their stakeholder groups (superintendents, principals, curriculum leaders, special education directors, teachers, parents, and school board members) to engage in small (approximately 15 participants), role-alike, conceptual discussions regarding equitable access to a high school diploma and student readiness for entering career and college opportunities after high school. A randomly selected high school from each superintendent region will be contacted to engage in small (approximately 15 participants) conceptual conversations with students. These conceptual discussions will be facilitated by the Maine DOE PBE Specialist and guided by the following discussion prompts. (The Commissioner and other Maine DOE members may join the conversations as their schedules allow.):

a.) To what degree do you agree or disagree with this statement and why: The knowledge, required skills, and qualifications required for entrance into post-secondary opportunities in industry, trade, business, and higher education vary.

What do you see is needed to prepare students for their post-secondary next step?

b.) To what degree do you agree or disagree with this statement and why: The transcript and diploma are inseparable companion documents that together articulate a student’s readiness for the postsecondary next step she or he has chosen.

What do you see is needed to clearly articulate a student’s readiness for the postsecondary next step she or he has chosen?

c.) To what degree do you agree or disagree with this statement and why: The high school transcript must clearly communicate the student’s proficiency across the grade span progressions (preschool-grade 2; grades 3-5; grades 6-8; grades 9-12) thus providing a clear, accurate communication of what the student has achieved and what the diploma based on proficiency represents for each student.

What do you see is needed to clearly articulate what a student has learned?

d.) To what degree do you agree or disagree with this statement and why: Every student needs a personal learning plan and a small team whose primary goal is to understand the student’s aspirations, strengths, challenges, contexts of his or her life. The team works collaboratively with the student and others to provide the student access to learning experiences that support her or him so that she or he may learn as close to full potential as humanly possible. The focus on the team is always on the student developing competencies that will support her or his aspirations and development of efficacy towards these aspirations as well as the student’s ability to reach the highest grade span proficiency level possible while eligible to attend our public schools.

What do you see is needed to increase the probability that a student will graduate ready for his or her postsecondary next step?

e.) To what degree do you agree or disagree with this statement and why: Statewide agreement regarding what proficiency means or looks like in each grade span progressions (preschool-grade 2; grades 3-5; grades 6-8; grades 9-12) is necessary to support student opportunity to learn and demonstrate proficiency.

What do you see is needed to support opportunity to learn and demonstrate proficiency across the state?

f.) Would you be willing to share a final thought as a result today’s conversation

2.) Taking into consideration the insights gained from the upcoming conceptual discussions and the September public comments, the Maine DOE staff will write a new proposed rule Chapter 134 and begin again the Maine Administrative Procedures Act (A.P.A.) routine technical rule process pursuant to 5 MRS §8052 (public notice of filing, public hearing, open public comment period).The Maine DOE is working diligently to honor the integrity and vision for the high school diploma and transcript articulated in Maine education statute 20-A MRS §4722-A as well as the routine technical rulemaking pursuant to section §4722-A subsection 7. Maine DOE believes public input is a critically important.

It is clear from the oral and written comments submitted on proposed rule Chapter 134 that there is commitment in Maine to provide opportunity for all students to learn as much as they can the entire time the students are eligible to attend our public schools. It is also clear that the diploma has great social meaning and currency in our society. Clearly evident in the comments is that equity sits at the heart of the debate regarding what constitutes sufficient evidence for proficiency. We have provided links below to both the oral and written comments received by the September 8^th deadline.

Recorded public hearing and the written comments received by September 8, 2017 for proposed rule Chapter 134 submitted by September 8, 2017.

For more information on proposed rule Chapter 134 and the diploma based on proficiency, contact Maine Department of Education Proficiency-Based Education Specialist, Diana Doiron at diana.doiron@maine.gov