A comprehensive school evaluation system bill won support in the House of Representatives on Tuesday by a vote of 80-55.

LD 1540 would create a commission of education stakeholders, including administrators, teachers, parents, experts and students, to develop a fair school evaluation system based on student progress and local improvement measures – not solely standardized test scores. The measure provides an alternative to the flawed A-through-F grading system implemented by the LePage administration last month.

“The administration’s grading method was rightfully met with disdain from parents, educators, students and school officials,” said Rep. Bruce MacDonald, House chair of the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee. “Rather than trying to boil down a school’s performance to a single letter grade, this measure provides a comprehensive look at a school.”

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Lawmakers in the State Senate voted 21-14 to provide direct funding for charter schools through the State’s General Purpose Education fund. Charter schools were approved by the Republican-controlled 125th Legislature and have negatively impacted public school funding by taking funds away from public schools.

“The funding of our charter schools is flawed.  This measure addresses one of the biggest weaknesses by putting forth a fair funding model,” said Senate President Justin Alfond. “This bill helps strengthen all of our schools and I am proud of the bipartisan support this measure.”

• In this year alone, Skowhegan is losing $400,000 and is expected to lose another $650,000 next year to both Cornville and the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences.
• The communities of Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Topsham and Harpswell (MSAD 75) are expected to lose $300,000 next year to Harpswell Coastal Academy School. The public schools in MSAD 75 serve nearly 2,600 children, while the Harpswell charter school will serve 60 students at most.

“Funding for charter schools should not come at the expense of funding for public schools,” said Senator Rebecca Millett, the Senate Chair of the Education Committee. “Preventing charter schools from draining financial resources from public schools provides relief for local schools, and local property taxpayers. This measure provides more local control over how our property taxes are spent instead of blindly turning money over to charter schools.”

LD 1057, “An Act Related to Public Funding of Charter Schools,” was approved by the House earlier today in an 85-55 vote. It faces further votes in the House.

President Obama’s new initiative called ConnectED will connect 99 percent of America’s students to the internet through high-speed broadband and high-speed wireless within 5 years, calling on the FCC to modernize and leverage its existing E-Rate program to meet that goal. The program does not require Congressional action.

“We are living in a digital age, and to help our students get ahead, we must make sure they have access to cutting-edge technology,” said President Obama. “So, I’m issuing a new challenge for America – one that families, businesses, school districts and the federal government can rally around together – to connect virtually every student in America’s classrooms to high-speed broadband internet within five years, and equip them with the tools to make the most of it.”

The President also directed the federal government to make better use of existing funds to get Internet connectivity and educational technology into classrooms, and into the hands of trained teachers working with businesses, states, districts, schools and communities.

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Legislation to promote and expand awareness of the Educational Opportunity Tax Credit won final approval in the House May 31st.

The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Gay Grant, seeks to promote the Educational Opportunity Tax Credit. Often referred to as the Opportunity Maine bill, the legislation provides a tax credit to Maine residents who receive their bachelor’s or associate degree at an accredited Maine school and then continue to work in Maine.

Grant’s bill, as amended, would expand awareness of this credit by requiring the Department of Education to notify superintendents annually about the program and encourage the superintendents to publicize the availability of the program among students, parents and school staff.

“Maine’s student debt is the third highest in the nation,” said Grant. “That financial burden can be lessened if those who are eligible take advantage of this opportunity. Unfortunately it’s one of the best kept secrets in Maine. Freeing students from college debt is a vital component of Maine’s workforce development. That is why this program continues to have such strong bipartisan support.”

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Two proposals to change the budget, one restores $54 million to eduction, the other saves over $2 million.

Members of the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee put forward a plan to change Governor Paul LePage’s two-year budget by strengthening fraud measures, thus saving $2.8 million. Also introduced today was an amendment to the budget which would restore $51.4 million in cuts to education funding, and to layout an eight year track to achieve the 55 percent funding of education voted into law by Maine citizens.  

“The Democrats feel strongly about restoring cuts to school funding and demonstrating our commitment to meeting the fifty five percent mandate,” said Senator Emily Cain, a member of the committee who introduced the amendment. “This is the best way to support our communities and recognize that shifting retirement costs is a bitter pill. This proposal is about meeting our Republican colleagues halfway.”

The initiative accepts the Governor’s proposal to have districts assume the costs of teacher retirement and increase the state share of school funding by one percent per year beginning with FY 15 until the state’s contribution reaches 55 percent. If the state fails to meet this yearly increase, the full costs of teacher retirement revert to the state for that year.

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“We must remain committed to early childhood learning – especially when times are tough, just as a farmer must invest in seeds to guarantee a bountiful crop,” said House Majority Leader Seth Berry joined members of the Maine Children’s Alliance, the Maine Early Learning Investment Group and the Maine Children’s Growth Council to urge state and federal support for early learning, citing new research that shows significant return on investment in Maine.“Quality early care and learning is – hands down – our best opportunity to make Maine prosper.”

President Barack Obama would agree with Rep. Berry as Obama has strongly supported early childhood education and is trying to establish more programs for the initiative across America. Federal Recovery Act dollars helped to build Educare in Waterville, a state of the art early childhood center.

The report: Path to a Better Future: The Fiscal Payoff of Investment in Early Childhood in Maine, by University of Maine economist Philip Trostel found a 7.5 percent return on investment and that high-quality preschool education for a low-income child saves taxpayers an average of $125,400 over the child’s lifetime.

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Spring in Augusta at Maine's Capitol. photo by Ramona du Houx

A bill to expand early childhood education to every school district in Maine was introduced by Senate Majority Leader Seth Goodall May 17, 2013 in front of the Legislature’s Education and Cultural Affairs Committee.  Currently, there are 172 School Administrative Units in the state with elementary schools and 60 percent of which offer some kind of pre-k.  Goodall’s measure is designed to provide the momentum for school units to reach 100 percent.

“Early childhood education is one of those issues where there is so much unity about its importance and so much agreement about expanding it,” said Sen.Goodall.  “We know that what gets planned is what gets done. We have the data, we have the support, let’s not delay in providing every child an opportunity for success. ”

During the State of the Union President Barack Obama promoted early childhood education saying the we need to make it a national priority. in Waterville, Maine the federal government helped to fund the Educare, an early childhood education center that is proving to be a model for replication in different regions across the state, and beyond.

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Earlier today, the Senate voted in a party-line vote of 20-15 to pass a measure that would include social workers among the professions who currently receive loan forgiveness if they work and live in Maine.

“All we need to do is look at the Department of Health and Human Services, which has a chronic shortage of social workers,” said Senator Rebecca Millett. “Social workers watch over our abused children, and help put Maine families in crisis back together. They do jobs that save lives, and this bill will allow more social workers to stay in Maine and do their good work.”

The measure provides $20,000 per year for up to 40 applicants to receive student loan assistance through the Finance Authority of Maine. Currently, loan relief is available for no more than three applicants.

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Last week on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the Maine Youth Transition Collaborative (MYTC) played an integral role in launching Success Beyond 18, a national campaign to create a better path for young people transitioning from foster care to adulthood. The Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, a national partner of MYTC since 2003 and leader of Success Beyond 18, joined The Honorable Jack Markell, governor of Delaware and current chair of the National Governors Association, legislators, child welfare experts, and young people in foster care from around the country to kick off the campaign.

Approximately 26,000 individuals get to old, or “age out” of the foster care system each year. In Maine, approximately 150 youth “age out” annually at age 18. After leaving care without a permanent home, many struggle to find housing and jobs, pay for medical care, or finish their education – costly consequences that leave a heavy burden on our communities.

“The goal of our work at the Maine Youth Transition Collaborative is to ensure that no young person leaves foster care without a supportive family and the opportunities they need to help them succeed in work, school, and life,” said Marty Zanghi, director of the MYTC. “We’re excited to be part of this important campaign to help Maine and others make this goal a reality.”

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