MDIschools.net

March 15

• State seeks input for education 'race', Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• Towns weigh cutting ties to private schools, Edward D. Murphy, Press Herald
• The benefits of national standards for student achievement, Editorial, Washington Post

March 14

• Obama proposes 'No Child' overhaul, Nick Anderson, Washington Post
  • A Blueprint for Reform: Reauthorization of the ESEA, US DoE
• Kids deserve better than to absorb millions more in cuts to education, Larry Morrissette, Kennebec Journal
• Teachers need small enough classes to give students tools for the future, Carrie Emmerson, Kennebec Journal
• Even without voter approval, Sheepscot RSU has working budget, F. Gerard Nault, Kennebec Journal

March 13

• [...So goes VT] Education Challenges Design Team meetings now open to the public, Anne Galloway, VTdigger.org
• Does the Size of a School Matter?, NY Times
• Bill may relieve school penalties, Christopher Cousins, Bangor Daily News
• Texas board adopts new social studies standards, AP

March 12

• The School Consolidation
  “Fix-up” Bill, Legislative Bulletin, MMA
• District surveys Arundel, Suzanne Hodgson, Kennebunk Post
• Cape Elizabeth teachers offer salary cut to help balance budget, Amy Anderson, Forecaster
• 'Lowest-achieving' list not necessarily bad news, Editorial, Press Herald
• Orrington-Dedham consolidation request unanswered, Nok-Noi Ricker, Bangor Daily News

March 11

• GPA restoration now proposed at $25 million, MSMA
• Additional $5 Million in Education Subsidies, DoE informational letter
• Designation Has Sumner Memorial High School Pondering What’s Next, Jacqueline Weaver, Ellsworth American
• [As Falls Livermore...] Superintendent to retire as of July 1, Donna M. Perry, Sun Journal
• Schools Across U.S. Grapple With Closures, Alan Greenblatt, NPR
• Politics and Parsnips: Obama's Common Core, Susan Ohanian, Huffington Post
• [Anson, Embden, Solon, New Portland, Madison, Athens, Starks, Brighton Plantation] Two schools hope to rise, Erin Rhoda, Morning Sentinel
• [Annals of reorganized school choice] (Arundel, Kennebunk) Student welfare is key issue in RSU 21 debate, Editorial, Journal Tribune
• [...So goes VT} Hundreds Of Parents Angry Over School Consolidation Bill, WPTZ
• Bad Teachers: Reform Them or Retire Them?, on-line debate between Newsweek's Evan Thomas and New York Times's Elizabeth Green

March 10

• Draft Common Standards Elicit Kudos and Criticism, Catherine Gewertz, Ed Week
  • Draft K-12 Common Core State Standards Available for Comment, National Governors' Association release
    • Common Core State Standards Initistive
      • Read the standards and comment
• State changes rules to win U.S. grants, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• Governors, state school superintendents to propose common academic standards, Nick Anderson, Washington Post
• Union again calls for tax increase, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• State changes rules to win U.S. grants, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• State lists ‘lowest-achieving’ schools, Christopher Cousins, Bangor Daily News
• [Machias, Jonesboro, Marshfield, Northfield, Wesley, Roque Bluffs, Whitneyville, Cutler, Whiting, Machiasport, East Machias] Committee approves consolidating 11 towns, Sharon Kiley Mack, Bangor Daily News
• Merger moves to join Fayette, Winthrop units, Betty Adams, Kennebec Journal
• 10 schools branded as 'lowest-achieving' in Maine, Kelley Bouchard, Press Herald
• Penalizing towns cannot be justified, Gordon Donaldson, Bangor Daily News
• [Camden, Rockport, Hope, Appleton, Lincolnville] Five Town CSD proposes to reduce 13 positions, Heather Steeves, Bangor Daily News
• [Belfast, Stockton Springs, Frankfort, Swanville] Board pares $515K from school budget; (and status of Frankfort's seccession effort), Steve Fuller, Republican Journal
• [Cape Elizabeth] Budget could cut some 13 Cape school jobs, Ann Kim, Press Herald
• Merger moves to join Fayette, Winthrop units, Betty Adams, Kennebec Journal

March 9

• Preparing for another charter schools battle, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• Liveblogging the Education Committee's Work Session on the Race to the Top bills, Steve Bowen, MHPC
• [The List] Federal Funds Available for "Persistently Low Achieving" Schools, DoE release
• Will Maine stand a chance in Race to the Top?, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• South Portland school board cuts 25 jobs, Ann Kim, Press Herald
• [Livermore, Livermore Falls] RSU 36 budget cuts staff, administration, Donna M. Perry, Sun Journal
• Brewer school budget forecast includes layoffs, no tax increase, Nok-Noi Ricker, Bangor Daily News
• [Hallowell, Farmingdale, Monmouth, Richmond, Dresden] RSU 2 superintendent: 'Still down by $1.3 million', Karlene Hale, Capital Weekly

March 8

• [Ellsworth, Sullivan] Sumner Memorial High School Among 10 Lowest-performing Schools in Maine, Ellsworth American
• Building a Better Teacher, Elizabeth Green, New York Times Magazine (3/02/2010)
• [Machias, Jonesboro, Marshfield, Northfield, Wesley, Roque Bluffs, Whitneyville, Cutler, Whiting, Machiasport, East Machias] 11 town boards to gather for school meeting, Sharon Kiley Mack, Bangor Daily News
• Middle school, freshman sports could suffer under budget cuts, Kelley Bouchard, Press Herald

March 6

• 'Race to the Top's' 10 false assumptions, Marion Brady, Washington Post
• Changes to merger legislation advance, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal

March 5

• Committee unanimously endorses consolidation law changes, MSMA
• Discussion of teacher performance evaluations following MEA RttT testimony
• Educators lukewarm about 'federal blackmail', Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• [Dept of real consolidation] Closing Schools, Editorial, Bangor Daily News
• [Windham, Raymond] New state money raises questions for schools, Editorial, Press Herald
• School budget cuts aren't going to be pretty, Joshua Shea, Independent

March 4

• [...So goes Vermont] Addison school district consolidation hailed, Molly Walsh, Burlington Free Press
  ...“It’s not going to happen because the state says so. If you look at Maine and what’s happened over there, it’s just chaos. ...Schools are not the kind of thing you can top-down.”
• [North Anson, Anson, Solon, Embden, New Portland] SAD 74 weighs staff cuts to stay within budget, Erin Rhoda, Morning Sentinel

March 3

• [Annals of school choice: Kennebunk, Kennbunkport, Arundel] Thornton Academy: Middle school choice for Arundel is 'breach of contract', Kristen Schulze Muszynski, Journal Tribune
• [Belfast, Frankfort, Swanville, Stockton Springs, Searsport] School closures eyed for savings, Steve Fuller, Republican Journal
• Talk of the Nation: Teachers Feel Ignored In Education Debate, NPR
  • Primary Sources: America's Teachers on America's Schools, Scholastic. Gates Foundation
• Survey: Supportive leadership helps retain top teachers, Nick Anderson, Washington Post
• [Gov's 2nd budget change package] Changes to Education Subsidies, DoE informational letter
  • Updated GPA distribution spreadsheet
• Sing along if you know the words: Duncan Covers Familiar Territory in ESEA hearing, Alyson Klein, Politics K-12
• [+$20M for schools] Governor Presents Changes to Proposed 2010-11 Budget, Governor's press release
• Spare change? Brunswick school chief hopes residents will donate it, Steve Mistler, Forecaster
• Survey: Supportive leadership helps retain top teachers, Nick Anderson, Washington Post
• Scholar’s School Reform U-Turn Shakes Up Debate, Sam Dillon, New York Times
• MEABT rates for next year, Tom Major, South Portland Teachers Association

March 2

• Resolution Seeking Fair, Equitable, and Transparent Funding of Education In Maine, Falmouth, Cape Elizabeth, Falmouth, Portland, Scarborough, South Portland and Yarmouth
• Re: Race to the Top, We Regret to Inform You..., Michele McNeil, Ed Week
  • [Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin] Senators to Duncan: Don't Forget Rural Schools, Alyson Klein, Ed Week
• Aid to education on the way?, WSCH
• Maine’s worst schools could get $11M boost, Christopher Cousins, Bangor Daily News
• [Fear and Loathing in RI] Obama wrong, Weingarten right, Jay Mathews, Washington Post
• [Manchester, Mount Vernon, Readfield, Wayne] Maranacook goes to towns, seeking $730,000, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• [Pittsfield, Burnham, Detroit] SAD 53 board supports school closure, Christopher Cousins, Bangor Daily News
• [...So goes Ohio] Timing is right in Ohio for smart district consolidation, Eric Ulas, Flypaper

February 27

The $92M Killing Floor
• [Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Arundel] A detailed look at proposed RSU 21 cuts, Laura Dolce, York County Coast Star
• South Portland school cuts target 31 jobs, 1 middle school, Randy Billings, Forecaster
• [Bath region] Two RSU 1 schools to lose sixth grades, Seth Koenig, Times Record
• Proposed Scarborough school budget would eliminate 43 jobs, Linda Maule, Forecaster
• [Rockland, Thomaston] Several Regional School Unit 13 teachers accept retirement incentives, Stephen Betts, Herald Gazette
• [Corinna, Hartland, Newport, Palmyra, Plymouth, St. Albans, Etna, Dixmont] RSU 19: Job cuts, school closure possible, Christopher Cousins, Bangor Daily News
• [Belfast, Belmont, Frankfort, Morrill, Northport, Searsmont, Searsport, Stockton Springs, Swanville] RSU 20 board may close schools to balance budget, Abigail Curtis, Bangor Daily News
• [Milbridge, Cherryfield, Harrington, Columbia, Columbia Falls, Addison] Down East's SAD 37 board rejects plan to close school, Sharon Kiley Mack, Bangor Daily News

February 26

• [Dept. of More Streamlined Piping]
  • Educators learn about new system, Abigail Curtis, Bangor Daily News
    ...“The object of the game is not to use the exams to sort students out. ...We are talking about making it crystal clear to kids what skills they need to pursue their dream and to be successful.”
  • Rethinking High School, Editorial, Bangor Daily News
• Notes from today's Ed Committee work sessions, Brian Hubbell
• [Dept of Pie] LD 1801: An Act To Promote the Establishment of Innovative Schools, Governor's bill
• MEPRI reports on EPS funding formula components
• Review of Small School Adjustment in the Essential Programs and SSFM, Oct. 2009 data (includes terms of "high perforning" and "efficient" schools)
• Review of Staff Ratio Components in EPS Model, (Feb. 2010)
• EPS Salary Matrices Review and Update, Oct. 2009 Data (Feb 2010)
• EPS Benefits Percentages Review (Feb 2010)
• Review of Transportation Cost Component, February 2010

February 25

• Sanford School Committee members not fans of NECAP test, Ellen W. Todd, Sanford News
• [...So goes Vermont] Windham school officials weigh in on merger plans, Bennington Banner

February 24

• MEPRI reports to Ed Committee on EPS funding model
  • Impacts of the School Funding Formula on the State Subsidy Received by School Administrative Units, MEPRI
  • Analysis of the Impacts of Including Income in Determining Community Wealth in the Maine K12 School Funding Formula, MEPRI
  • Review of the Small School Adjustment in the Essential Programs and Services Funding Model, MEPRA
  • notes from briefing, Brian Hubbell
• [Dept of the the Glass Half Upside Down] Fear & Loathing in RI
  • A Vote to Fire All Teachers at a Failing High School, Katie Zezima, New York Times
  • Hysteria Around Turnarounds, Vander Ark / Ratcliff
    ...up to half will be rehired.
  • 'Turnaround' Not Only Policy Issue in R.I. Teacher Firings, Stephen Sawchuk, Teacher Beat, Ed Week
• Portland schools chief plans leadership shake-up, Kelley Bouchard, Press Herald
  • draft organization chart
• State revenue picture improving, forecasters say, MSMA

February 23

• Currents in merit pay: Alternative compensation and performance review
  • Houston's Teacher Evaluation Policy (and responses), Eliza Krigman, NationalJournal.com (2/16/2010)
  • Should Teacher Salaries be Linked to Student Performance?, Maurice Elias, Edutopia (2/19/2010)
  • Denver Public Schools teacher evaluations don't mirror quality, group says, Jeremy P. Meyer, Denver Post (2/19/2010)
  • Boston gets an F in teacher appraisals, James Vaznis, Boston Globe
• [...So goes Ohio] Playing to mixed reviews: Try this: Fewer school districts, Alan Johnson, Columbus Dispatch
  ...A Brookings study on Maine a few years ago called for voluntary consolidation. The proposal was incorporated into the state budget passed in 2007.     When the dust settled, 75 of 290 districts had been eliminated or consolidated, saving the state about $36 million a year and more at the local level, said David Connerty-Marin, director of communication for the Maine Department of Education.     Districts that opt out of consolidation get the stick: a 2 percent reduction in state funding.     There haven't been as many mergers as state officials hoped, but there have been benefits, Connerty-Marin said. Some districts have added pre-kindergarten, language and advanced-placement programs.
• State spending limits treat localities far differently than schools, Chris Galgay, Press Herald
• Early graduation plan needs more explanation, Editorial, Kennebec Journal
• Teachers, students should emerge from schools, get into community, Susan E. Melcher, Kennebec Journal
• Portland teachers union: Bargaining needed before new schedule is adopted, Randy Billings, Forecaster

February 22

• K-12 education needs to be revamped, so here's a plan to get it done, David Flanagan, Press Herald
  ...questionable statistics about the SATs

February 21

• Radio Address: Race to the Top, Governor Baldacci
  ...These (innovative) schools ...will have flexibility in instruction design, staff selection, school calendars and assessments of professional development.

February 20

• Dueling educators: four papers on the school funding crisis
• Did the reorganization law succeed in reorganizing Maine's least efficient school districts?, Gordon Donaldson, UMaine, 2/15/2010 (*.pdf)
  (Noncompliant districts cost the state less per pupil than those exempt from reorganization.)
• Truth or Consequences, Superintendent Paul Stearns, MSAD 4, Guilford, 2/17/2010 (*.pdf)
  (Penalty money from districts which educate near the EPS rate shouldn't be redistributed to districts in wealthy communities that significantly overspend EPS.)
• Bold Initiatives, Superintendent Mark Eastman, MSAD 17, Oxford Hills, 2/17/2010 (*.ppt)
  (Detailed emergency suggestions for raising revenue and reducing staff.)
• Food for thought, Superintendent Bill Webster, RSU 24, Ellsworth, 2/19/2010 (*.ppt)
  (Even after curtailments, state subsidy is higher than it was in 2004. Time to tighten the belts.)
• Official: FBI probing Pa. school webcam spy case, Maryclaire Dale, Washington Post

February 19

• Snide*ness Alert!, Downeast Schoolhouse
• Brunswick schools Aid cut sparks spat, Beth Brogan, Times Record

February 18

• 6 votes kill South Portland plan to save $140K, Randy Billings, Forecaster
• [Taping over the MacBook's iSight]
• Suit: Pa. school used webcams to spy on students, AP
• Lower Merion School District response to 'invasion of privacy' allegation, news release

[Cradle to workforce: Revisioning the educational pipeline for more laminar flow]

• High Schools to Offer Plan to Graduate 2 Years Early, Sam Dillon, New York Times
• 'Tough Choices’ Education Initiative Grows with the Addition of Three States and a Newly-Announced NEA-Business Coalition, Skills of the American Work Force Commission
• Executive Summary, 'Tough Choices or Tough Times
• [David Flanagan of Central Maine Power, Superintendent Morse and Mark Gray of the MEA] Analysts: School funding crisis an opportunity for change, Randy Billings, Forecaster
  ..."We have a mentality in public education that we're in the happiness business. ...We're not in the happiness business. We're in the business of giving kids the skill sets in order to be successful leaders for Maine and the future."
• Grants to Develop, Test Next-Generation Teaching Tools in Math and Literacy, Gates Foundation
• Maine schools join plan allowing early entry to college, Abigail Curtis, Bangor Daily News
• Maine high schools to offer early graduation, Bonnie Washuk, Sun Journal
• Invitation to Briefing on Board Examination Systems, DoE informational letter
• Rep. Sarty Details Proposal to Let School Districts Self-insure, Maine House Republicans news release

February 17

• [Dept. of curtailments: The Shorter Pipeline] Pilot Project to Test Early College for Maine Students, Josie Huang, MPBN
• [Dept of botched salutations to the House Speaker] Brunswick School Board chairman, legislators spar over aid cuts, e-mail remarks, Steve Mistler, Forecaster
• Machias-area educators upbeat on repeal of school penalties, allowance for new alternative school organizations: Legislative panel unanimously backs amendments proposed by Small Schools Coalition, Fred Hastings, Downeast Coastal Press (not on-line)
• Don't sacrifice the lessons in real life, Editorial, Sun Journal
• [Alfred, Limerick, Lyman, Newfield, Shapleigh, Waterboro] RSU 57 to appeal state subsidy cut, Dan Bustard, keepmecurrent.com

February 16

• [Dept of relentless flogging] Consolidation Consequences, Editorial, Bangor Daily News
  [On-line response]   The logic of this editorial seems flawed.   First, was the consolidation law good for the districts that reorganized or was it bad for them?   If it was good for them -- if they now are enjoying the necessary relief and advertised benefits of the policy -- how are they harmed whether or not the districts which found no benefit from the law are penalized?   And, if it was bad for them -- if, in fact, the penalties rather than educational and cost benefits were what forced them into bad policy decisions -- then why is the harm done to them compelling reason to apply the same harm more broadly?

     Further, the editorial concludes that, because 40% of the state budget goes to support schools, the state should get to set the rules.   But there are non-compliant towns in which school spending represents over 90% of the local tax assessment.   Following the editorial's reasoning, should this give these towns more than twice the authority of the state?

February 15

• [Dept. of curtailments: the shorter long view] In Utah, a plan to cut 12th grade -- altogether, DeeDee Correll, LA Times
• In response to the PPH editorial supporting penatlies, comments continue.

February 14

• School districts that won't merge should pay the price, Editorial, Sunday Telegram
  • ...Wrong

February 13

• Facing debt, towns eye property tax, Kevin Miller, Bangor Daily News

February 12

• (Washington) County schools face $4.3 million loss in subsidy, Susan Esposito, Quoddy Tides
• [Annals of consolidation] But That Trick Never Works, Mike Antonucci, EIA
  • Kansas
  • Georgia
  • Vermont
• [Dept of test-teaching synergies] Company that produces standardized tests based in NH, Ashley Smith, Nashua Telegraph
  ...In the meantime, the company is concentrating on other projects, including a partnership with the Nashua School District to help the high schools better align their curriculum to testing standards. Nashua is the only district in the state that has this kind of partnership, although the company is in talks with others.    “Nashua is a very forward-thinking district,” said Diane Bailey, national assessment consultant for Measured Progress.
• Legislation puts flexibility in school consolidation law, MSMA
• Schools hit hard Down East: Some districts find state aid cut in half, Sharon Kiley Mack, Bangor Daily News
  ...Lubec is one of the hardest hit. Its subsidy for school year 2009-2010 was $601,908. The 2010-11 subsidy will be $29,107.
• [Scarborough, South Portland, Cape Elizabeth] Schools demand more state aid, Tess Nacelewicz, keepmecurrent.com
• Caribou RSU fears staffing reductions, Jen Lynds, Bangor Daily News
• Machias not suffering big school subsidy cuts, Sharon Kiley Mack, Bangor Daily News
• Policy advocate starts Web site on school funds, Jessica Bloch, Bangor Daily News
• [Livermore, Livermore Falls] School board majority backs merger with Jay, Sun Journal
• Plan to Ease Consolidation for Smaller School Districts Moves Forward, A.J. Higgins, MPBN
• [Oxford Hills] School plan gets hearing in Otisfield, M. Dirk Langeveld, Sun Journal

February 11

• [Déjà vu: Approps trumps Policy] Legislative Committees Spar Over Education Funds, A.J. Higgins, MPBN
• Education Committee 2/11 agenda
  • Committee votes out LD570 OTP: Report from today's work session
• [So goes Vermont] Scheuermann proposes elimination of supervisory unions, creation of “educational districts”, Rep. Heidi E. Scheuermann, VTdigger.org
• [Amity, Cary Plantation, Haynesville, Hodgdon, Linneus, Ludlow, New Limerick] SAD 70 schools see $312,000 loss in state aid, Jen Lynds, Bangor Daily News
• [Pittsfield, Burnham, Detroit] SAD 53 to air cost-cutting ideas, Scott Monroe, Morning Sentinel
• [Bingham, Moscow] Money woes smack district, Erin Rhoda, Morning Sentinel
• [Saco, Dayton, Old Orchard Beach] A surprise for district: smaller cut in state aid, Edward D. Murphy, Press Herald
• [Tooting the NECAPs] A bright spot during trying times for RSU 21, Editorial, York County Coast Star
• Angry Brunswick officials demand explanation, action from lawmakers, Beth Brogan, Times Record
• [Ellsworth] RSU 24 Superintendent Says Consolidation Saving Classrooms, Jennifer Osborn, Ellsworth American

February 10

• Two views of AP
  • AP Participation, Successes Increase: Maine exceeds nation in percentage of students scoring 3 or above, Maine Department of Education
  • Sixty-nine percent of Vermont AP exams taken by high school seniors were scored at three or higher, Vermont Department of Education
  • Maine Students Improve Performance in AP Placement Exams, Maine Public Radio
• [Dept. of the Subjunctive Passive Pluperfect] Merged schools go hat in hand to Capitol, Susan M. Cover, Kennebec Journal
  ..."This is about addressing the short-term assistance that was calculated into the planning, anticipated, and never arrived."

[Annals of diminished school choice] [Arundel, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport] RSU 21 middle schoolers may leave Thornton, Edward D. Murphy, Press Herald

• Yarmouth schools face $1.1M subsidy loss, Amy Anderson, Forecaster
• Falmouth schools fare better than expected in state funding, Peggy Roberts, Forecaster
• [Bethel, Andover, Woodstock, Greenwood, Newry] Bethel school district faces job losses, building closures, Eileen M. Adams, Sun Journal
• [West Paris, Paris, Waterford, Norway, Otisfield, Oxford, Harrison, Hebron] SAD 17 'cluster concept' goes on the road, Duke Harrington, Oxford Bear
• SAD 75, Brunswick schools hit hard by state; RSU 1 fares better, ALex Lear, Forecaster
• [Starks, Madison, Athens] Starks to send students elsewhere, Erin Rhoda, Morning Sentinel
• New Website Tracks Education Data -- and Promotes an Agenda, Anne Mostue, MPBN

February 9

• Using LD1 report to bash school districts is insulting, Christopher Galgay, Ashley O’Brien and Shannon Welsh, Bangor Daily News
• [Richmond, Dresden, Monmouth, Farmingdale, Hallowell] RSU 2 board to weigh staff cuts Wednesday, Times Record
• Georgetown mulls Boothbay alliance, Seth Koenig, Times Record
• Georgetown studies school busing options, Seth Koenig, Times Record
• [Brunswick] Deeper school aid cuts loom, Beth Brogan, Times Record

February 8

• Maine well-positioned for federal Race to the Top educational funding, Susan Gendron, Press Herald
  ...working to establish "innovative public schools" with charter-like flexibility, but run by public school boards and with certified teachers.
• The EPS Model and School Spending, Dogulas Rooks, Maine Townsman (January, 2010)

February 7

• Aspiration or Abandonment, Bruce Bourgoine, Kennebec Country Democratic Committee

February 6

• President Obama's quest for a renewed, tougher No Child Left Behind, Editorial, Washington Post
• Scarborough schools facing $2 million loss, Edward D. Murphy, Press Herald
• Portland a pioneer in examination of special ed programs, Senator Bill Diamond, Press Herald
• Board OKs Rockland-St. George consolidation, Heather Steeves, Bangor Daily News
• [Western Foothills, Dixfield, Rumford] RSU 10 superintendent: Aid cut could have been worse, Eileen Adams, Sun Journal

February 5

• [Dept of blood money wars]
  • Panel alters way penalty money distributed, Susan M. Cover, Kennebec Journal
  • Lawmakers Upet by Penalties in School Subsidy List, MPBN
  • GPA 2010-11: updated to remove penalties
  • School Funding Battle Brewing, Laurie Costigan, Mount Desert Islander
  • State releases alternate school subsidy figures, mainetoday.com
• Members of school board assess criticism of special ed, Kelley Bouchard, Press Herald
• [Freeport, Pownal, Durham] School district may contract out bus service, Dennis Hoey, Press Herald
• [Wales, Litchfield, Sabattus] RSU 4 sets forum on school status, Betty Adams, Kennebec Journal
• [Rockland, Thomaston, St. George] 'Devastating' cuts face Regional School Unit 13, Stephen Betts, Herald Gazette
• [Waldoboro] SAD 40 board declines to support Many Flags, Andrew Benore, Herald Gazette
• Teachers' union responds: THEY'RE LYING!, Tony Payne, Herald Gazette
• School Subsidy Spreadsheet Released for FY 2011, MMA Legislative Bulletin

February 4

• [Dept. of the magic 8-ball] Lawmakers Consider Change to School Consolidation Law, Josie Huang, MPBN
• Ed Committee votes to delay reorganization penalties
• Education Committee schedule
• City schools sweeten retirement incentive, Kelley Bouchard, Press Herald
• [Hallowell, Farmingdale, Dresden, Richmond, Monmouth] RSU 2 cut among state's largest, Meghan V. Malloy, Kennebec Journal
• Too late for Chelsea to get divorce from RSU 12?, Jil Crochere, Kennebec Journal
• [Canaan, Cornville, Mercer, Norridgewock, Skowhegan, Smithfield] School budget outlook bleak, Doug Harlow, Morning Sentinel
• SAD 54 panel to discuss Cornville school closing, Robert Gauvin, Morning Sentinel
• [Jay] No special town meeting needed for school's use of money, Donna M. Perry, Sun Journal
• [Dover-Foxcroft, Charleston, Monson, Sebec, Greenville, Guilford, Sangerville, Abbot, Parkman, Wellington, Cambridge] Schools look to offset reduced state subsidies, Diana Bowley, Bangor Daily News
• How Unions Work, Megan McArdle, The Atlantic

February 3

• $92M School Funding Drop, Redistribution Causing Tensions, Laurie Costigan, Ellsworth American
• Rankings of the States 2009 and Estimates of School Statistics 2010, NEA
• Education spending, not tax cuts, best job creator, Greg Kesich, Press Herald
• [Kennebunk, Kennebunkport] RSU 21, Wells-Ogunquit students fare well on NECAP tests, Deborah Mcdermott, seacoastonline.com
• [The (50-year) view from Kansas] Kansas school consolidation: it won’t be the first time, Bob Weeks
  ...“A bunch of school districts got together and filed a lawsuit against the State claiming not enough state aid,” and the Legislature responded by establishing a mechanism requiring unification of smaller weaker school districts.
• [View from Vermont] Consolidation or Merger?, Rep. Peter Peltz, vtdigger.org
• Hancock County loses $3.9M in school funds, Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News
• Test results in for Maine’s students, Keith Edwards, Kennebec Journal
• State: Students' test scores 'sound', Kelley Bouchard, Press Herald
• State funding for school districts varies widely, Bonnie Washuk, Sun Journal
• [Alfred, Limerick, Lyman, Newfield, Shapleigh, Waterboro] RSU 57 towns want school budget cut, Dan Bustard, keepmecurrent.com
• [Cumberland, North Yarmouth] School chief: 'Everything on the table' in SAD 51 budget, including jobs, buildings, Alex Lear, Forecaster
• Falmouth sports boosters see threat in pay-to-play proposal, Peggy Roberts, Forecaster
• Brunswick schools face $2.8M loss from state; staff cuts, larger classes loom, Steve Mistler, Forecaster
• Bar Harbor facing $2 million deficit, Mac Smith, Bar Harbor Times
• [Waldoboro] SAD 40's draft budget combines classes, cuts staff, Andrew Benore, Herald Gazette

February 2

• Reorganization Penalties Must Go, Gordon Donaldson, Maine Small Schools Coalition
• GPA 2010-11 in spreadsheet formats (preliminary, 2/01/2010)
• [Rumbles from Cumberland Co.] 7 school boards in greater Portland call for new state funding formula, Randy Billings, Forecaster
• Maine October 2009 NECAP Test Results
• President Obama seeks to revamp No Child Left Behind teaching standards, Nick Anderson, Washington Post
• States Rush to Join Testing Consortia, Stephen Sawchuk, Ed Week
  • Letter to state school chiefs, Susan Gendron, CCCSO
• Education Hell: Rhetoric vs. Reality, Edurati
• [National Board Certified Teachers] State right to dump teacher salary subsidy, Editorial, Press Herald
• [Augusta] Au revoir, francais?, Karlene Hale, Capital Weekly
• Most Maine school districts to lose state aid, AP
• Oxford Hills proposes cutting principals, Leslie H. Dixon, Sun Journal
• Cuts in aid deep for schools, Scott Monroe, Morning Sentinel
• [Dept. of the magic 8-ball] RSU 12 To Seek Legal Advice On Fifth Budget Attempt, Lucy L. Martin, Lincoln County News

February 1

• Funding Outlook and Financial Strategies, DoE
  • [Dept. of excellent visual representations] 100% EPS, GPA, local share, & ARRA - FY05-13, Jim Rier, DoE
• Preliminary FY11 General Purpose Aid for Local Schools, DoE
• Spreadsheet shows GPA cuts and consolidation penalties, MSMA
• [Teachers' health insurance] Probing Politics: Intentional or just a multi-million dollar mistake?, Tony Payne, Forecaster
• Muncipalites meet LD 1 challenge, MMA, Legislative Bulletin
• [Topsham] SAD 75 budget picture darkens, Darcie Moore, Times Record
• [Dept of the magic 8-ball] Error in Alna; RSU 12 budget actually defeated, John Hale, Capital Weekly

January 31

• [Dept. of Sticks & Tweaks] Consolidation still looks good from Portland, Editorial, Sunday Telegram
  • ...Cussedness
• Teaching lessons: State cuts seen as threat to certification, Kelley Bouchard, Sunday Telegram

January 30

• Shrinking Government, Editorial, Bangor Daily News
• State’s LD1 report unfairly criticizes schools again, MSMA
  • Review of EPS: Has the funding formula done its job?, MSMA (July 2009)
• #Why rural ME exceeds EPS
• EPS formula underfunds rural #MEschools by labor market adjust factor. York/Cumb +6%; Machias -15%
• In rural areas, #MEschools that match programs of Scarborough or Cape will always cost more per-pupil. There are simply fewer students in the denominator. Alternative is to accept offering rural students less.
• Quantification of EPS underfunding small #MEschools
• Report: Special-ed overhaul could save city $2.5 million, Kelley Bouchard, Press Herald
• Education Committee to debate school budget approval procedures on Thursday, Steve Bowen, MHPC
• [Pittfield, Burnham, Detroit] SAD 53 reviews options with funding cuts, Christopher Cousins, Bangor Daily News

January 29

• Broadband Stimulus in Maine - A Battle between Fairpoint and UMS, background, compiled by Jim Burke
• Maine Fiber Company Provides Three-Ring Binder Update, Maine Broadband News
• LD 1697: "An Act To Protect Universal Service", Rep. Stacy Fitts
• Testimony in opposition, Brian Hubbell
• Notes from public hearing, Jim Burke, Learning in Maine
• Bill looks to cut UMS Internet sales, Kevin Miller, Bangor Daily News
• FairPoint bill would slow Internet growth , Editorial, Press Herald
• [The View from Vermont] The Cost of Saving Money, Jon Margolis, Vermont News Guy
  "...where else should we spend a lot of money?"
• {Dept. of RttT allegories] A make-believe conversation about parenting, John Spencer, Musings from a not-so master teacher
  "...If my kids are someday going to compete in a global economy, they need to first compete for my affection."
• Augusta: Budget proposal ends elementary French program, Keith Edwards, Kennebec Journal

January 28

• [Blue Hill, Brooksville, Castine and Penobscot, Surry] Union 93 hires former chief: Consolidation still poses challenge, Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News
• [Ellsworth] RSU 24 Board Considers Intra-District School Choice, Cyndi Wood, Ellsworth American
• [Department of collapsed headroom] LD 1 Progress Report 2009, State Planning Office
• Governments comply with spending limit, Kevin Miller, Bangor Daily News
• Most municipalities obeyed spending limits, Susan M. Cover, Press Herald,
  ...“If you’re over because you’re inefficient, or your administration is too small to be efficient, that’s a problem, ...If you’re over because you’re spending on (advanced-placement) classes, that’s a different issue.”
• [Portland] Residents are urged to lobby governor, Kelley Bouchard, Press Herald

January 27

• School Choice working for Alna, therefore must be stopped, Steve Bowen, MHPC
• Break Consolidation Cycle, Editorial, Bangor Daily News
• [Dept of Every Day in Every Way, Better and Better] Transportation Routing Software, DoE Informational Letter
• [Oakland, Belgrade, Sidney, ChinaRSU 18: Tough choices face district, Amy Calder, Morning Sentinel
• Why use the NECAP to assess Maine’s math standards?, Beth Schultz, Times Record

January 26

• [VT engages NESSC] Vermont must accelerate learning, reduce drop-outs and develop work force, Gary Gilbert, Burlington Free Press
• [...So Goes Vermont] Video update: Early ed main focus at UVM gubernatorial candidate forum, Steve Cormier, VTdigger.org
• [Dept of Orders of Magnitude] MEDMS Financial System Upgrade for FY 2011, DoE informational letter
• Three bills would alter school consolidation law, Susan M. Cover, Press Herald
• [Kingfield, Coplin Plt. Highland Plt.] Legislation would allow neighboring plantations to join SAD 58, Susan M. Cover, Morning Sentinel
• [Burlington, Edinburg, Enfield, Howland, Maxfield, Passadumkeag, Atkinson, Brownville, LaGrange, Lake View Plantation, Milo] Greenbush, SADs 31, 41 share services, Nick Sambides Jr., Bangor Daily News
• [Litchfield, Sabattus, Wales] RSU 4 tries plan to avert closing, Betty Adams, Kennebec Journal
• [Alna, Chelsea, Palermo, Somerville, Westport Island, Whitefield, Windsor, Wiscasset] 8-town district to vote on $26.1M school budget referendum, Kennebec Journal
• [Pittsfield, Burnham, Detroit] SAD 53 consolidation waiver hearing set for Feb. 22 , Mike Lange, SV Weekly

January 25

• LD 1739 dead, but the fight to retain school budget voting rights continues..., Steve Bowen, MHPC
• Reports, hearings and work sessions today at the Legislature's Education Committee...
• Portland backing off on pledge to help schools, Kelley Bouchard, Press Herald
• [Pittsfield, Burnham, Detroit] SAD 53 faces possible consolidation penalty, Scott Monroe, Morning Sentinel

January 24

• Breaking News: LD 1739 to be withdrawn..., Steve Bowen, MHPC

January 23

• [Dept of Good Jobs at Good Wages!: West of the Hudson division] Transfinder Reports Record Numbers in 2009
• What Did Baldacci Say On Education?, Derek Viger, Augusta Insider

January 22

• [Precipitation in the Rockies] Denver Public Schools receive $10 million grant from Gates Foundation for teacher evaluation, Jeremy P. Meyer, Denver Post
• [So goes Vermont] A Vote for School Consolidation, Susan Allen, Times Argus
• Orrington, Dedham consider school pact, Nok-Noi Ricker, Bangor Daily News
• [Waterville, Winslow, Vassalboro] Over some objections, $1.66 million school budget approved, Scott Monroe, Morning Sentinel

January 21

• State waives minimum local share for aid to schools, Leslie Dixon, Sun Journal
• Camden Select Board encouraged to reduce school spending, Heather Steeves, Bangor Daily News
• Maranacook budget targets staff, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• SAD 4 votes to transfer ownership of schools to Parkman, Guilford, Diana Bowley, Bangor Daily News
• Bill targets graduation rate increase, Press Herald

January 20

• [Oxford Hills] GPA, state reduction of local mill rate expectation, and where have all the supers gone?, Duke Harrington, Oxford Bear
• [View from Vermont] Striking a balance in education spending, Armando Vilaseca, Times Argus
• [Dept of the magic 8-ball: Windsor, Chelsea, Palermo, Somerville, Whitefield, Alna, Wiscasset, Westport Island] RSU 12 budget up for fourth vote at polls, John Hale, Capital Weekly
• [Oxford] "Unprecedented" cuts seen in school services and staff, Leslie H. Dixon, Sun Journal
• [Brownville, Milo] SAD 41 weighs closing LaGrange school, Diana Bowley, Bangor Daily News
• Stability amid a sea change, and The Report Card's last mark, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• [Moscow, Bingham] SAD 13, 74 merger defeated, Erin Rhoda, Morning Sentinel
• Portland high school teachers may take on more classes, Kelley Bouchard, Press Herald
• D.C., Virginia seek $450 million in federal education funds, Bill Turque, Washington Post
• Kingfield Board updated on school funding woes, David Hart, Irregular

January 19

• [Alfred, Limerick, Lyman, Newfield, Shapleigh, Waterboro] Testing highs, lows seen in RSU 57, Dan Bustard, keepmecurrent.com
• Obama's school grants reveal how far behind Maine lags, Stephen Bowen, Bangor Daily News
• Return to smaller schools, and also walk to them, Charles Robertson, Kennebec Journal
• [The view from Mississippi] Barbour: 2 groups, maybe 3, pay for merger study, AP

January 18

January 17

• [Dept of the magic 8-ball: Alna, Chelsea, Palermo, Somervile, Westport Island, Whitefield, Windsor, Wiscasset] RSU 12: So far so good, Betty Adams, Kennebec Journal

January 16

• [...So goes Vermont] Vilaseca: Current school system is inefficient and inequitable, VTdigger.org
• Shining moment for ed reform, Editorial, Boston Globe
• Augusta’s proposed cuts in education would be devastating to our schools, Bangor School Committee, Bangor Daily News
• [Bingham, Moscow] Time has come to accept consolidation as law, Brian Malloy, Morning Sentinel

January 15

• Preventing program cuts, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• Educators and school administrators decry budget cuts, Rebekah Metzler, Sun Journal
• Teachers, officials make pleas on budget, Matthew Stone, Press Herald
• [Rockland] Rockland weighs closure of MacDougal School, Heather Steeves, Bangor Daily News
• Meeting summary, Maine Children's Growth Council, Dec. 7, 2009

January 14

• [Shapleigh, Massabesic] RSU 57 teachers union feels shut out, Dan Bustard, keepmecurrent.com
• Brunswick School Board opts for administrative shuffle instead of new school principal, Steve Mistler, Forecaster
• Holding States, Nation to Educational Account: Executive Summary, Quality Counts 2010, Ed Week
• MPBN Story on Charter Schools, South Portland Teachers' Association Blog
• [Ellsworth] RSU 24: Laptop repair money depleted, WLBZ-2
• [Windham, Raymond] RSU 14 board reduces WHS graduation requirements, Emily Parkhurst, The Independent
• [Dept. of silver linings: Saco] RSU 23 budget picture improves for now, Dan Bustard, Scarborough Current

January 13

• [Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Arundel] Creating a vision for RSU 21, Kristen Schulze Muszynski, Journal Tribune
• At 'the top of the chart' or 'racing to catch up?', Matthew Stone, The Report Card
  • Racing to Catch Up, Stephen Bowen, Maine Heritage Policy Center
• [Dept. of the magic 8-ball] (Sheepscot Valley) 4th try for budget, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• State: Acton schools must consolidate, Dan Bustard, keepmecurrent.com
• [Starks] Elementary school may close doors, Erin Rhoda, Morning Sentinel
• [Dept. of consolidated transportation and phys. ed] (Madison) 'We're saving the world and the kids', Erin Rhoda, Morning Sentinel
• Will Pensions Bankrupt Your District?, Kurt Eisele-Dyrli, District Administration
• Teachers' union shift is a step toward reform, Editorial, Press Herald

January 12

• Taking the lead on reform?, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• The Weingarten Speech, Andrew Rotherham, Eduwonk
• Won’t Get Fooled Again… Again, Mike Antonucci, EIA Intercepts
• A New Path Forward: Four Approaches to Teaching and Better Schools, Randi Weingarten, AFT, address to National Press Club
• Scarborough schools cuts lower-level sports teams, Tess Nacelewicz, Current
• Union head to propose tying test scores, teacher evaluations, Nick Anderson, Washington Post
• States Lower Test Standards for a High School Diploma, Ian Urbina, New York Times
• Education: Debunking the Case for National Standards - Alfie Kohn, Edurati

January 11

• NESSC, Common Core, Gates, & RttT: View from CT
• Bethel signs on for federal education grant; Danbury may, too, Eileen FitzGerald, News Times
• Schools slow off the mark in 'Race to the Top', Linda Conner Lambeck, News Times
• School districts competing for share of $175M, Elizabeth Benton, New Haven Register
• Furlough days for schools considered, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• The next wave...
• [Edgecomb, Georgetown, Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor, Southport]Edgecomb School, Town Officials Discuss Possible Consolidation And Expansion, John Maguire, Lincoln County News
• [Jay, Livermore, Livermore Falls] School panels to discuss consolidation, Donna M. Perry, Sun Journal
• [Camden, Rockport, Hope, Appleton, Lincolnville] Five towns to begin school district reorganization talks, Kim Lincoln, Herald Gazette
• Final Report of the Study Commission Regarding Teachers' Compensation, Legislature's Office of Policy and Legal Analysis, December 2009
• Testimony needed on GPA cut impact on schools, MSMA
• Study shows how dumb we might be, Jay Mathews, Washington Post
• School districts eye local furlough days, Matthew Stone, Press Herald

January 10

• Brief Summary of Background Materials Compiled for the Study Commission Regarding Teachers’ Compensation, Office of Policy & Legal Analysis, 12/09/2009
  • Meeting Agenda, Study Commission Regarding Teachers' Compensation, 12/14/2009
• What Makes a Great Teacher?, Amanda Ripley, The Atlantic
• [Department of How Things Actually Fall Into Place] Meeting Summary, Maine Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Initiative, November 9, 2009 (Invest Early in Maine)
• [Lee, Springfield, Webster, Winn] SAD 30 superintendent to resign effective June 30, Nick Sambides Jr., Bangor Daily News
• Jackman, or bust, Working in Maine
  ..."if someone wanted to create a policy designed to destroy what vitality and hope remains in Maine's rural outposts, they couldn't have come up with anything better than school consolidation." While this might not be received happily by the current administration in power, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone that understands life in Maine's small communities to disagree with that statement.
• 150 Years of Education in Maine: 1820 - 1970: Sesqui-centennial History of Maine’s Educational System and the Growth and Development of the Maine Department Of Education
  • Part I -- Education in Maine Prior to 1900
  • Part II -- Development of the State Department of Education
• [Special Ed] Public, private approaches debated, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• [Augusta] City, schools face bleak financial times, Keith Edwards, Kennebec Journal
• Small gifts, big impact, Kelley Bouchard, Press Herald
• [Rockland, Thomaston, St. George] Health care and school consolidation, Stephen Betts, Herald Gazette

January 9

• [Rumble from Eddington] Elections and Silver Mornings, Eddington News
• State — not cities — needs to fix budget, Bangor City Council, Bangor Daily News
• Education reform requires more than taking potshots, Adam Leach, Bangor Daily News
• Innovative program would establish funding for rural areas, Susan M. Cover, Kennebec Journal
• [Bingham, Moscow, Anson, Solon, Embden, New Portland.] Voters to decide on school merger, Erin Rhoda, Morning Sentinel
• When officials e-mail, trouble is online, Bill Nemitz, Press Herald

January 8

• [Eastport] Bleak financial picture painted for area schools, Edward French, Quoddy Tides
• Teachers Should Be Seen and Not Heard, Anthony Mullen, Teacher of Year Road Diary
• [RISC] Educators, Public Invited to Education Reform Session, DoE press release
• [Rockland, Thomaston] Regional School Unit 13 OKs payments to encourage retirements, Stephen Betts, Herald Gazette
• [Waldoboro, Warren, Union, Washington, Friendship] SAD 40 board unanimously supports all district elementary schools, Andrew Benore, Herald Gazette
• [Rockland, Thomaston, St. George] Regional School Unit 13 board puts brakes on high school consolidation, Stephen Betts, Herald Gazette

[...So goes Washington state] Ready to merge 295 school districts into 150?, Brad Shannon, The Olympian

• [South Portland] Furlough?, Tom Major, SPTA Major Blog
• Castine principal resigns, takes job in Pennsylvania, Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News
• Maranacook vote keeps drama, sports; tax seen, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• [Portland] Public's views sought as school layoffs loom, Kelley Bouchard, Press Herald
• Best Practices in Action 'Momentum Building' Regional High School Conference, Nashua, NH, April 8-9, New England Secondary School Consortium

January 7

• [New England Secondary School Consortium: View from Connecticut] We need to keep close eye on common national standards plan, Eileen FitzGerald, News Times
• Commissioner warns of future school cuts, Gillian Graham, Scarborough Leader
• [Rumble from Arundel] Consolidated school board gunning for Arundel, Jon Renell, Kennebunk-Kennebunkport Post
• Dover-Foxcroft system has failed to find any consolidation partners, Diana Bowley, Bangor Daily News
• [Department of consolidated influence] Pursuing political favors, John Christie, Bangor Daily News
• High school review begins in Kittery, Deborah Mcdermott, York Weekly
• New special education regulations not likely to save district much money, Leslie H. Dixon, Sun Journal
• [Alfred, Limerick, Lyman, Newfield, Shapleigh, Waterboro] RSU 57 faces either large tax increases or severe cuts, Dan Bustard, Waterboro Reporter

January 6

• Avoiding a state-to-local cost shift, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• [Department of Reverse Largess] Waiver of Minimum Local Required Share in FY 2011, Commissioner Gendron, DoE informational letter
• [South Berwick] Superintendent sure SAD 35 will see staff, program cuts, Jason Claffey, Fosters Democrat
• Should Education Be a Race?, Jim Burke, Learning in Maine
• Legislature's Education Committee agenda for Jan 4-8, 2010
• South Portland city, schools facing dramatic cuts, layoffs, Tess Nacelewicz, Current
• Skeptics pepper Gendron with questions, concerns, Dan Bustard, Waterboro Reporter
• [Topsham, Harpswell] Group sues to prevent closing of West Harpswell School, Steve Mistler, The Forecaster
• [Topsham, Harpswell] Lawsuit challenges closing of Harpswell school, Dennis Hoey, Press Herald
• [Waterville, Vassalboro, Winslow] New-look budget in district, Scott Monroe, Morning Sentinel
• [Houlton, Hodgdon] School panels may try more collaboration, Jen Lynds, Bangor Daily News
• Augusta schools to plug budget hole with stimulus funds, Karlene Hale, Capital Weekly
• Foreign students living and learning at Dirigo High School, Eileen M. Adams, Sun Journal

January 5

• [Ellsworth] Video interview with Bill Webster, superintendent of RSU 24, Chris Crockett, Ellsowrth American
• Budget Tops Agenda as Lawmakers Reconvene, MPBN
• [International Baccalaureate] In this school program, the goal is to ask 'why?' Ann Kim, Press Herald
• Gendron points to ways schools can trim costs, Kelley Bouchard, Press Herald
• [Solon] Board to vote on closing Embden Elementary School, Erin Rhoda, Morning Sentinel
• Comparing State Math Standards, Pam Kenney, Learning in Maine
• [Harpswell, Topsham] School closing foes go to court, Beth Brogan, Times Record

January 4, 2010

• Department of Education uses Grinch’s calculator, Alan B. Cobo-Lewis, Bangor Daily News
• $73 million in proposed GPA cut shifts burden to locals, MSMA
• [Wales, Sabattus, Litchfield] RSU #4 Schools Hold Two-Day Event to Create Common Vision, press release
• Working to become higher paid, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• [Camden, Rockland regions] Full steam ahead, Herald Gazette
• Teacher Pay Shake-Up, Editorial, Bangor Daily News
• Appropriations panel to hear testimony on cuts Tuesday, Susan M. Cover, Kennebec Journal
• [Maranacook] $10,000 to cut in RSU 38: 7th-grade sports, play are at risk, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• {Maranacook] Winter carnival might help restore activities cut in RSU 38 budget, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal

January 3

• Maine Budget Top On Maine Legislative Agenda, Glenn Adams, AP

January 2, 2010

• Mergers reshape area school districts, Erin Rhoda, Morning Sentinel

December 31, 2009

• Neo-liberalism and Charter Schools, Danny Weil, Dissident Voice

December 30

• Hearing on streamlining bill Jan. 5, MSMA
• "Innovative" Schools Idea Gets Mixed Reception, Tom Porter, MPBN
• Districts Cooperating More on School Consolidation, Commissioner Says, MPBN
• Service learning now in MDI schools, Nina Shoshana Wish, Bar Harbor Times
• [Wiscasset, Alna, Westport Island, Palermo, Somerville, Windsor, Whitefield, Chelsea] State aid cuts add to RSU 12 budget woes, Seth Koenig, Times Record

December 29

• [Bath region] RSU 1 superintendent: 84% subsidy loss 'optimistic', Alex Lear, Forecaster
• Education Secretary Arne Duncan's legacy as Chicago schools chief questioned, Nick Anderson, Washington Post

December 28

• [Durham, Freeport, Pownal] Newsmakers 2009: Trying to make consolidation work, Darcie Moore, Times Record
• East Millinocket mulls school consolidation, Nick Sambides Jr., Bangor Daily News

December 27

• School Choice working for Alna, therefore must be stopped, Steve Bowen, MHPC
• Wrong to penalize poor counties for opposing school merger law, Betsy Saltonstall, Sunday Telegram

December 24

• Gendron defends emergency special education measures, Commissioner Gendron, Times Record
• Who'll Stop the Rain?, Downeast Schoolhouse
• [Rockland, Thomaston] Regional School Unit 13 panel calls for consolidating high schools next year, Stephen Betts, Herald Gazette
• District Budget Up Slightly, Dick Broom, Mount Desert Islander
• [Department of too many houses and too few kids] Care needed in weighing Wells-Ogunquit school costs, Editorial, Jounral Tribune
• RSU 57 wrestling with state's curtailment Shapleigh forum proves big draw for offering input, Ruth Ham, Fosters Democrat
• Connor questions Gendron's rule-making right, Laura Dolce, seacoastonline.com

December 23

• [Bath] RSU 1 budget crisis looms, Seth Koenig, Times Record
• Dept. of Education presses on with emergency changes, Lorie Costigan, Times Record
• Charter Schools: Education's Fox in the Henhouse?, Burt Saxon, Ed Week
• The MEA and the Race to the Top (Program?), Derek Viger, The Augusta Insider
• Special Education Public Hearing Draws Critics, Lorie Costigan, Ellsworth American
• [Department of shaking the school choice tree] [Kennebunk] School board woos Arundel students, Suzanne Hodgson, Kennebunk/ Kennebunkport Post
• Some thoughts on U.S. News & World Report's 100 best public high schools, Scott McLeod, Dangerously Irrelevant
• [meanwhile] [Windham-Raymond] RSU 14 considers reducing graduation requirements, Emily Parkhurst, Independent

December 22

• 2009 - 2010 Public School Tuition Rates, DoE informational letter
  • secondary rates
• Difficult Legislative Session Ahead, MEA
• School funding crisis can't be excuse to let education lag, Ben Bragdon, keepmecurrent.com
• MEA strategizes on "Great Public Schools", Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• MEA Prepares For Battle, Derek Viger, Augusta Insider
• Sides debate special ed cut, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• Maine education may be in a race to the bottom, Richard Malaby, Bangor Daily News

December 21

• Local budgets would feel brunt of Baldacci’s cuts, Lorie Costigan, Times Record
• (Deep) Annals of Consolidation Metrics: Success as a function of "school wagon" expenditures: Consolidated rural schools and organization of a county system, 1908 report from the USDA Extension Service

December 20

• On Monday, focus turns to special ed, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• It’s All Bad!, Downeast Schoolhouse
• Education officials feel push to reduce, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• Governor's supplemental budget bill
• Part E (education)
• Sec. E-5: Limiting tuition rate increases by index
• Sec. E-6: Reducting maximum allowable tuition rate by 2%
• Sec. E-11: Truncating the state share EPS ramp
• Sec. E-12: Revised targets for state share of EPS
• Sec. E-13: Increasing local full-value education mill rate
• Sec. E-14: Revising downward the minimum state allocation
• Sec. E-15: Reducing reimbursement for special ed costs
• Sec. E-16: Removing "minor" capital projects" from debt service calculations
• Sec. E-17: Increasing local mill rate expectation
• Summary of Part E

December 19

• [Hodgdon] SAD 70 seeking a partner, Jen Lynds, Bangor Daily News
• National Forum on Common Core State Standards Initiative (video link) CCCSSO & National Governors Association
• Baldacci sees ‘hard choices’ in budget plan, Glen Adams, Bangor Daily News
• Special-ed rule authority questioned, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• Special ed rule changes should be fair to all kids, Editorial, Press Herald

December 18

• School funding cut $73 million in proposed budget, MSMA
• Testimony needed at Special Education hearing Monday, MSMA
• [Ellsworth] RSU 24 cuts budget, eliminates five positions, Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News
• [Waterville, Vassalboro, Winslow] AOS 92 Tuesday's vote delays system's budget proposal, Scott Monroe, Morning Sentinel
• [Bingham, North Anson] SAD 13 AND SAD 74 Consolidation plan now goes to voters, Erin Rhoda, Morning Sentinel

December 17

• Reorganization Status of All School Systems, DoE table
• Gendron’s emergency rulemaking troubles head of Education Committee, Lorie Costigan, Boothbay Register
• Parents Upset About RSU 57 Layoffs, WMTW-8
• Gendron’s Emergency Rulemaking Troubles Head of Education Committee, Lorie Costigan, Ellsworth American

[Mariaville, Otis] Mariaville Residents Favor RSU 24 Operation of Beech Hill School, Ellsworth American

• Planned special-ed rules changes challenged, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal

December 16

• Special ed rule changes decried, Lorie Costigan, Times Record
• [Department of the magic 8-ball] Sheepscot Valley RSU Settles On Fourth Budget Next Month, Lucy L. Martin, Lincoln County News
• State goes after stimulus funds and Race to the Top grant, MSMA
• Touting consolidation in narrative form, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• [St. Louis vs. Pembroke: Department of Boozy Mismatches] Corporate donors buttressed school consolidation backers, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• [Waterville, Vassalboro, Winslow] Voters approve changes for school funding, Scott Monroe, Morning Sentinel

December 15

[Wales, Sabattus, Litchfield] RSU #4 K-8 Reconfiguration recommendation, Superintendent Jim Hodgkin
• 5,000 homeschoolers in Maine?, Steven Bowen, Maine Heritage Policy Center
• Will Maine budge on performance pay?, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• Baldacci sanctions 'innovative' schools, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal

December 14

• Governor to release proposed budget cuts Dec. 18, MSMA
• Special ed, busing for AOS 92 face 3-town vote, Scott Monroe, Morning Sentinel

December 13

• Performance pay funding for teachers may increase, Nick Anderson, Washington Post

December 12

• Academic Intervention, Editorial, Bangor Daily News
• [Portland] Forum attendees weigh goals for city's schools, Kelley Bouchard, Press Herald

December 11

• Less time, less money, same degree, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• [Alfred, Limerick, Lyman, Newfield, Shapleigh, Waterboro] RSU 57 School Board Decides On Layoffs, WMTW
• Work begins on vision for Portland's schools, Kelley Bouchard

December 10

• [Deer Isle, Blue Hill] Hurdles remain in school consolidation talks, Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News

December 9

• [Edgecomb, Southport, Boothbay] Threat Of Education Funding Cuts Bring Town, School Officials Together, John Maguire, Lincoln County News
• Tracking progress on student-tracking data, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• [Madison, Pittsfield] SAD 59 pulls out of consolidated unit, Erin Rhoda, Morning Sentinel
• [Dept. of the magic 8-ball] Sheepscot Valley: Try, try again, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal

December 8

• Lawmakers Wary of 'Race to Top'-Standards Link, Alyson Klein, Ed Week
• School Shutdown Days Still a Bad Idea, Derek Viger, Augusta Insider
• School merger law deserves chance to work, Editorial, Press Herald
• [Poland] RSU 16 furlough days plan requires second vote, Winslow Durgin, Sun Journal

December 7

• [Otis, Mariaville] Small school caught in the middle of consolidation, Francis Bradbury & Kelly Skehan, Bangor Daily News

December 6

• School units seek to alter merger law, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal

December 4

• Reforms of least resistance, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• Maine floats changes to special education standards, Eric Russell, Bangor Daily News
• Charter schools not the panacea many seem to think they are, Chris Queally, Press Herald
• [Mechanic Falls, Minot, Poland] School staffs to vote on furlough days, Winslow Durgin, Sun Journal

December 3

• [So goes Delaware] School district merger would save millions, auditor says: Critics speak of hidden costs, impact on educational quality, Jennifer Price, News Journal
• Camden Hills board limits number of foreign tuition-paying students, Kim Lincoln, Herald Gazette

December 1

• [Sabattus] RSU 4 to hold 2-day event to seek common vision, Sun Journal
• [Dept. of bumpy roads] Teachers’ union presents its side in RSU 1 contract dispute, Richard Joyce, Louine Gagnon & David Cowie, Times Record

November 30

• Expanding the charter schools organization, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• State of Maine Education: A Teacher’s View, Derek Viger, Augusta Insider
• RSU 1 stance disappoints Bath teacher, Kevin O'Leary, The Forecaster

November 29

• Maine Consolidation Repeal Effort Goes Down to Defeat, Rural Policy Matters

November 27

• [The view from Alabama] School Consolidation: No new support for this old idea, Bill Minor, Biloxi-Gulfport Sun Herald
• [Eastport] Schools brace for pending subsidy losses, Edward French, Quoddy Tides

November 26

• [Weels-Ogunquit, Kennebunk] Local school districts face latest round of education cuts, Laura Dolce, Portsmouth Herald

November 25

• Two Ed Notices Before Turkey Day, Derek Viger, Augusta Insider
• [Ellsworth] RSU 24 Mulls Over Budget Cuts, Jacqueline Weaver, Ellsworth American
• Otis Selects Interim Superintendent, Jacqueline Weaver, Ellsworth American
• [Ellsworth, Blue Hill, Deer Isle, Bucksport] Local School Districts Coping With State Subsidy Cuts

November 23

• Gendron Proposes Changes to School Consolidation Law, MPBN
• [Department of bumps on the reorganization superhighway: Bath region] RSU 1 rebuts teachers’ union in contract dispute, Charles Durfee, Times Record
• [Kennebunk, Wells] School districts face more state cuts to education, Laura Dolce, Portsmouth Herald

November 21

• New state cuts hit education, social services hardest, Kevin Miller, Bangor Daily News

November 20

• Curtailment SAU-level Effect on FY 2010 Education Subsidies, DoE informational letter
  • spreadsheet of curtailment amounts by SAU
• [Bingham, North Anson] Panel OKs consolidation proposal for SADs 13, 74, Erin Rhoda, Morning Sentinel

November 19

• All innovation short of charter schools, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• Maine to Apply for Race to the Top Funds, DoE press release
• [Department of bumps on the reorganization superhighway] [Bath region] Teachers working without a contract since Sept. 1, Seth Koenig, Times Record
• [Bongham, Moscow] SAD 13 At last, district passes budget, Erin Rhoda, Morning Sentinel

November 18

• [Ellsworth] Budget Strain Evident on RSU 24 Board, Teachers, Parents, Administrators, Jacqueline Weaver, Ellsworth American
• Consolidation frustration, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• Compromises sought on schools, Kevin Miller, Bangor Daily News

November 17

• [Departmentof Incongruent Views] Superintendents in stereoscope: Nov. 17 Ed Committee testimony
• School Consolidation Debate Shifts Back to Legislature, A.J. Higgins, MPBN
• Ed Committee testimony, Skip Greenlaw, Maine Coalition to Save Schools
• Excitement of the consolidation variety, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• Ed Committee agenda
• [Moscow, Bingham, Anson, North Anson, Solon, New Portland, Embden] SAD 13, 74 merger up for committee vote, Erin Rhoda, Morning Sentinel
• [Pittsfield, Burham, Detroit] District eyes exemption to avoid penalty, Scott Monroe, Morning Sentinel

November 16

• [Pittsfield, Burnham, Detroit] SAD 53 School district backed into corner, Scott Monroe, Morning Sentinel
• MSMA: Consolidation law changes, budget cuts on Nov. 17 agenda

November 15

• [Department of the magic 8-ball] Let voters keep their say in school district law, Editorial, Sunday Telegram
  • ...at least represent the choices accurately

November 14

• Brewer-area communities resume RSU process, Nok-Noi Ricker, Bangor Daily News

November 13

• Bingham, Moscow: Budget to get another vote, Erin Rhoda, Morning Sentinel
• At Sheepscot, school budget still in works, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• Maine revenues continue to slip; shortfall as high as $400M, Mal Leary, Bangor Daily News

November 12

• [Department of Alternative Compensation] Peer Review Undergoing Revitalization, Stephen Sawchuk, Ed Week
• High School Cutting Positions, Dick Broom, Mount Desert Islander (11/12/2009)

November 11

• Rule Set for $4 Billion 'Race to Top' Contest, Michele McNeil, Ed Week
  ...“There will be a lot more losers than winners.”
• What's the future for budget validation?, Matthew Stone, The Report Card

November 10

• 2010 ReInventing Schools Coalition (RISC) Maine Winter Symposium January 20-22, 2010
• Negativity Wins, Augusta Insider

November 9

• Maine faulted for lacking education innovations, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal

November 8

• [Department of the magic 8-ball] Bingham, Moscow: School budget debate continues Tuesday's town meeting-like vote to be followed by referendum on Nov. 17, Erin Rhoda, Morning Sentinel
• [Department of the magic 8-ball] Budget process may be scrapped, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal

November 7

• Rolling up the odd sleeves, Tomaz Lasic, human.edublogs.org
  ...Hence, we declare that the problem of education is not the idea of effort and production itself but rather what is valued in schools and, as a result of these values, what education is producing. Better world?
• 12 popular RSUs and four that may be in trouble: a town-level analysis of the repeal vote

November 6

• Updated map showing municipalities with 51% or more opposing repeal referendum
• Consolidation, Phase 2, Editorial, Bangor Daily News
  [On-line comment:] The premise of the law, that rural education infrastructure is somehow "expensive" "wasteful" "redundant"... is incorrect -- making the policy application wrong, root and branch.
• Overcoming isolation, and other Maine education news, Matthew Stone, The Report Card

November 5

• All you need to know about the political geography of the repeal vote [updated with final vote numbers]
• School Consolidation Foes Vow to Continue Monitoring Process, Anne Ravana, MPBN
• Unaffected voters saved mergers, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• What’s next with reorganization of schools, Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News
• School consolidation law big winner on Election Day, Editorial, Press Herald
  ...savings will grow over time as districts make decisions about closing schools and building new ones

November 4

• School Consolidation Remains in Place, Derek Viger, The Maine View
• School consolidation remains the law of the land, Matthew Stone, Press Herald
• Local democracy as well as local lettuce, Sam Smith, Undernews
  ...One of my big disappointments in politics has been the indifference of liberals - the sort who boost local food - with keeping democracy close to home as well. They often talk about it as though it was some sort of holdover from the states' rights days of segregation.
• The Point of No Return, Downeast Schoolhouse
  ...it’s going to be harder and harder to get communities to care about their schools if they have less and less to say about how they’re run.
• Repeal of school reform law rejected, Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News

November 3

• [Department of (-1)x($36.5M + $27M + $38.1M + $36M)] Planning for Anticipated Reductions in Subsidy, Commissioner Gendron, informational letter

November 2

• [Department of untethered realities] A last-minute $30 million explanation, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
  • Okay, help me understand this...
• [Department of the view just over the horizon: Kansas] Can reducing the number of school districts solve state budget woes?, Jeannine Koranda, Wichita Eagle
  • Do States Pay Attention to Each Other?, Mike Antonucci, Intercepts

November 1

• [Department of lumps in the roadway of the reoganization superhighway] ARRA Reporting Soon to Include School-Level State and Local Expenditures, Jennifer Cohen, Ed Money Watch
• Grade the teachers, Michael Jonas, Boston Globe

October 31

• The MEA Saga Continues, Derek Viger, The Maine View
  ...Aren’t unions about protecting the disenfranchised?

October 30

• MEA: How to avoid education cuts, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• Gubernatorial Candidates’ Statements on Question 3, Derek Viger, The Maine View
• Voice Of The Voter: Question 3 School Consolidation, Caroline Cornish, WLBZ2
• What's Truly at Stake, Downeast Schoolhouse

October 29

• Maine scores well in Mapping State Proficiency Standards Onto NAEP Scales: 2005-2007
• Prediction: MEA Goat Grab!, Downeast Schoolhouse
• Two views from Ellsworth
  • Consequences of Question 3, RSU 24 superintendent Bill Webster,Bangor Daily News
  • New recipe needed, Rep. Rep. Brian Langley, Bangor Daily News
• [Department of hired guns on better per diems] Impugning Dench's motivations in opposing consolidation, Newell Augur, Sun Journal

October 28

• Same Old Consolidation Claims at Issue in Maine Vote, Rural Policy Matters
• Maine Parent Teacher Association endorses consolidation repeal
• Yes on 3, Editorial, Portsmouth Herald
• MEA’s Revealing Opinion on Consolidation, Derek Viger, The Maine View
  • ...and a Madawaska MEA member comments
• [Department of reports that slipped behind the Governor's nightstand during the 2006 election] Organizational Alternatives for Small Rural Schools: Final Report to the Legislature of New York, SUNY, Dec. 1985
• Let's put school consolidation to rest as a failed experiment, George Smith, Morning Sentinel
• Question 3: We must be patient, keep school consolidation law, Jack Rosser, Morning Sentinel
• [Chelsea, Alna] Many Maine towns lost in school consolidation, Jil Crochere, Morning Sentinel
• No on 3 will save money and schools, Dana Connors, Bangor Daily News
• Easton selectmen speak out against 2 ballot measures, Jen Lynds, Bangor Daily News

October 27

• [Department of 83% success] Silvernail on Silvernail in VT (10/14/2009)
• Repeal consolidation and treat all Mainers fairly, Senator Trahan
• Poll shows repeal failing, Susan M. Cover, Kennebec Journal
• Vote yes on 3 to repeal school consolidation law, Gordon Donaldson, Bangor Daily News

October 26

• Setting the record straight on Question 3, MCSS press release
• TABOR: Education reform by necessity?, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• MEA Remains Silent On Consolidation, Derek Viger, The Maine View
  • [From the vault:] MEA visits the crossroads, April 13, 2007

October 25

• How You Can Help Yes On 3, Derek Viger, The Maine View
• ...Irrational and inequitable, Bryan Dench, Sun Journal
• [Department of other people's overspending] Keep school consolidation law: Vote 'no' on Q3, editorial, Sunday Telegram
  • What "savings are down the road" really means

October 24

• This RSU Brought To You By, Augusta Insider
• [And you know that Hollywood Slots just wants kids to be good at math] $109,000 more for the consolidation cause, Matthew Stone, mainetoday.com
  ...Who else and how much
• [Department of telling comparisons] 28-cent grassroots 'Yes on 3' yard sign template to take to local copy center to print on 11x17 yellow posterboard, MCSS email
• Washington County urges repeal vote, Sharon Kiley Mack, Bangor Daily News
• School consolidation a long-term benefit, Dean Crocker, Bangor Daily News

October 23

• Voters to decide on school district consolidation repeal, Kim Lincoln, Herald Gazette
• [Code yellow] Maine special education overhaul proposed, Mal Leary, Bangor Daily News
• Funds gap widens over consolidation, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal

October 22

• [Why Nestle, Unum, US Cellular, and the beer wholesalers want rural Maine's lunch money: 'It's for the kids'] Former Foes Become Allies in Battle Over School Consolidation, A.J. Higgins, MPBN
• Question 3 can’t turn back Consolidation clock, Editorial, Biddeford Journal Tribune
• School consolidation would give local power to state, Keith Cook, Bangor Daily News
• [Department of the magic 8-ball] Moscow, Bingham: SAD 13 A fourth vote for budget, Erin Rhoda, Morning Sentinel
• [The view from Mississippi] Task force to take on hot-button consolidation issue, Bobby Harrison, NEMS Daily Journal
  “...everybody wants to consolidate everybody else’s district, but not their own,”

October 21

• [Department of the Top 10 and Still Getting Clobbered by NCLB] DOE Releases Three Testing and Accountability Reports, DoE press release
• Why You Should Vote Yes on 3 to Repeal Consolidation, Derek Viger, The Maine View
• Vassalboro says yes, Scott Monroe, Morning Sentinel
  Special education and transportation should be stripped from the shared budget of the new consolidated three-school system and returned to the authority of each community...
• Traip-MHS tuition idea is worth exploring, Editorial, Portsmouth Herald
• No on 3 campaign leads in fundraising, Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News
  ...Baldacci also has helped raise funds through phone calls and by attending fundraisers for the No on 3 campaign
• Repeal school consolidation; United we stand, Skip Greenlaw, Capital Weekly
• Yes on Question 3: Repeal “Consolidation”, Downeast Schoolhouse
• No on 3, Editorial, Bangor Daily News

October 20

• Letter: Follow the money, vote yes on 3, Eydie Pryzant, The Forecaster
• Letter: No on Question 3, Chris Leighton, The Forecaster
• Charter schools in governor's court, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• Jennifer Rooks moderates debate on repeal referendum with Dana Connors and Skip Greenlaw, Maine Watch, MPBN (10/15/2009)
• Question 3 Debate, Maine Public Radio (10/20 at 1:00pm)
• Governor advises not to repeal school law, Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News
• Question 3: Sometimes, the Little Guys Ought To Lose, Doug Vanderweide, What Doug Thinks

October 19

• Controversy Rages Over Question One's Impact on School Curricula, Josie Huang, Maine Public Radio
• With merger, are the savings there?, Matthew Stone, Press Herald
• Question 3: Mount Desert Island found an alternative made the most sense, Matthew Stone, Press Herald
• Question 3: So what would happen to new school districts?, Matthew Stone, Press Herald
• [View from Vermont] Education chief says merger talks should continue, Susan Alen, Times Argus

October 18

• Portland Daily Sun Says Repeal Consolidation, Derek Viger, The Maine View

October 17

• Maine voters to decide fate of school district merger law, David Sharp, AP
• [Department of blinking LEDs in your basement] Needs Survey: Education Data Specialist Certificate/Endorsement Program, UMaine

October 16

• [Department of the magic 8-ball] Sheepscot RSU will put off budget poll, Matthew Stone, Mainetoday.com
• Dueling ads in the fight over Question 3, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• (10/21) Forum on Question 3 at Bangor library, Bangor Daily News
• AG: Gay marriage law irrelevant to schools, Susan Cover, Kennebec Journal

October 15

• Impact of Consolidation Law Varies Among School Districts, Lorie Costigan, Ellsworth American
• Otis Begins Search for Interim Superintendent, Jacqueline Weaver, Ellsworth American
• Attorney General Mills Issues Opinion on the Implications of LD 1020 on Maine School Curricula, Attorney General Mills, press release
• Vote “Yes” on Question 3, Editorial, Mount Desert Islander & Ellsworth American
• [The view from VT] Panel: Don't rush school consolidation, Nancy Remsen, Burlington Free Press
  ...David Silvernail ...recommended requiring consolidation rather than offering incentives: "All the states that are using incentives are getting very little movement."
• [Charter] School expert: Maine risks losing funds, Walter Griffin, Bangor Daily News
• Refuting charter school skeptics, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• Repeal of Consolidation Law Costs Maine Nothing, press release, Maine Coalition to Save Schools
• Shifting arguments in Question 3 fight, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• [Department of the Compelling Interests of Beverage Wholesalers] Question 3 Consolidation backers hold large funding advantage, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
  • list of (21) contributions to No on 3
  • list of (111) contributions to Yes on 3
• School law faces voter report card, Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News
  • Question 3: Do you want to repeal the 2007 law on school district consolidation and restore the laws previously in effect?, on-line poll, Bangor Daily News
• Candidate, school board back Question 3, Bangor Daily News
• 3 New England states lead on math scores, AP

October 14

• "A Disaster for our Schools", Governor Baldacci urges Maine Dems to vote 'No' on 3
• Statewide poll shows gay marriage, consolidation repeal favored, Kevin Miller, Bangor Daily News
• School-merger repeal proponents raise $6,300, Matthew Stone, Morning Sentinel
• Lynne Williams TV ad opposing consolidation
• Education Budget Reduction Targets, Commissioner Gendron, informational letter

October 13

• Yes On 3 Statement from Skip Greenlaw, Derek Viger, The Maine View
  • back of envelope calculations of projected savings and central office reductions, MDIschools.net (1/30/2009)
    • Real world savings, David Connerty-Marin, DoE
      • Savings from Insurance Shouldn't Count, NancyH

October 12

• [Department of the Big Rock Candy Mountain] Lawmaker would keep school subsidy cuts, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
  ...Augur, the Vote No on 3 campaign manager, said Friday the cost of repealing consolidation would still amount to "tens of millions of dollars" on top of the $37.4 million cost of reinstating cut subsidy.
       "Savings come from taking 290 districts and merging them into 80," Augur said. "That's where the savings come from, and if that gets repealed, those savings are lost for good."
• Proclamation in favor of repealing school consolidation, Camden Hills CSD school board
• Repeal School Administrative Consolidation, George Crawford, Learning in Maine

October 11

• Local stories about consolidation, Maine Coalition to Save Schools
  • Submit your own consolidation story
• How to order 'Repeal' bumperstickers, Maine Coalition to Save Schools
• Five Reasons for Repealing Maine’s School Consolidation Law, E. Machias' Selectmen

October 9

• Waterville backs change in school cost-sharing, Scott Monroe, Morning Sentinel
• Who Will Hold the Reins on the Purse Strings?: Five Reasons for Repealing Maine’s School Consolidation Law, East Machias Selectmen
• Curriculums central to marriage debate, Matt Wickenheiser, Kennebec Journal

October 8

• Will Maine Voters End School Consolidation?, Josh Goodman, Ballot Box
  • Attempted Merger, Josh Goodman, governing.com (11/01/2008)
• Cherryfield Elementary Granted a Stay and a $200,000 Gift, Jacqueline Weaver, Ellsworth American
• (Senator Trahan and Dana Connors) In The Arena: School Consolidation, Don Carrigan, WCSH-6
• Representative Seth Berry on School Consolidation, The Maine View
  ...the Legislature needs to be very honest about its future approaches to finding savings. Studies have shown a correlation between district size and administrative savings, but no causal link. So my preference, from the start, has been that we simply allocate less money for back-office functions, and let local districts decide how best to cut those costs.
• MSCC Talks School Consolidation, Finance at Fall Summit, press release, Maine Small Schools Coalition
  ...It's not 'rocket surgery'
• Gendron seeks analysis of gay marriage law effects, Kevin Miller, Bangor Daily News

October 7

• Social Security Numbers Will Assist Educational Tracking, Lorie Costigan, Ellsworth American
• Repeal School Consolidation NOW, Derek Viger, Augusta Insider
• State purchases system to route school buses, Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News

October 6

• Developments on the Question 3 front, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• The Universal Notebook: Wrestling with the referendums, Edgar Allen Beem, The Forecaster

October 5

• [Department of Moderated Revolutions] SAD 75 name won’t change, Darcie Moore, Times Record

October 4

• Yes On 3 Wants Your Story Heard, The Maine View
• Yes On 3 Asks Maine to Start Over, Derek Viger, The Maine View
• School consolidation faces ballot vote, Dave Choate, Portsmouth Herald
• [Department of sort of not okay but not that bad] Question 3: School law should stand, Editorial, Sun Journal

October 3

• Poll On School Consolidation Repeal, Augusta Insider
• Coalition wants repeal of school consolidation, Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News

October 2

• Faith and Education, Editorial, Bangor Daily News

October 1

• A domain name for repealing consolidation, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• Maine Gov 2010: Candidates responses to Q3: Repeal school consolidation law, Gerald Weinand, Dirigo Blue
• Repeal referendum resources
  • Informational resources favoring the repeal:
    • Please vote YES on Question 3 on November 3 to repeal the Maine School District Consolidation Law, Maine Coalition to Save Schools
    • Yeson3ME Ning network
    • Yeson3ME twitter feed
    • Repeal Consolidation in Maine, Facebook
  • Informational resources opposing the repeal:
    • No on 3, Maine People for Improved School Education
• [Department of the magic 8-ball] Sheepscot Valley: Budget work begins anew, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
  ..."It's not something a district likes to go through, but it can be, in the end, a positive experience in terms of educating the taxpayers about the budget," Connerty-Marin said.
  ...If the Sheepscot district can't manage to pass a budget before the end of the school year, it would be the first time that's happened in Maine, Connerty-Marin said. There's no provision in state law explicitly outlining the consequences of not passing a budget.

September 30

• No On 3 School Consolidation Statement, Derek Viger, The Maine View
• An online face to merger foes, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• [Department of the magic 8-ball] Sheepscot Valley: 3rd time no charm, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal

September 29

• Should Maine Cut School Days to Cut Costs?, Derek Viger, The Maine View
• [MDI] Schools brace for subsidy cuts, Greg Fish, Bar Harbor Times
• [Does your LEA swear...?] Certification on Constitutionally Protected Prayer, DoE Informational Letter
• [Department of the greasy glass: six degrees of transparency] ARRA Monthly Reporting Due Oct. 2, DoE Informational Letter
• [Waterville, Winslow, Vassalboro] 'Simpler, cleaner system' on table for consolidated school district, Scott Monroe, Morning Sentinel
• Campaign against repeal of school district law starts, Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News

September 28

• Consolidation Law Measure Overshadowed by Other Ballot Issues, A.J. Higgins, MPBN
• Stephen Bowen Comments On School Shut Down Days, Derek Viger, The Maine View
• [Camden, Rockland] Area schools brace for state aid reduction, Kim Lincoln, Herald Gazette

September 27

• The State Of Maine Education: Dr. Robert Hasson, Derek Viger, The Maine View
• Campaign defends '07 school merger law, Matthew Stone, Press Herald
• School Consolidation Debate Ramps Up, Jason Wheeler, WLBZ

September 26

• [News from the Neocene: Department of Megafauna: Office of Woolly Maths] Pro-consolidators launch website: Coststoomuch.com
  • ...School district consolidation can save taxpayers $36 million every year and hundreds of millions of dollars in the future. Repealing the measure will wipe out those savings and will make local property taxes will (sic) go up much, much faster.
  • Q – What about local control?
    A – Every school in Maine will still be run by the school principle (sic) and the parents of the children who go to that school. New regional school units (RSUs) have been successful in establishing their own unique governing structure to give each town in the RSU a clear voice in the process.
  • Coststoomuch.com Mission Statement and 'Letterhead Committee'
• Does repeal cost too much?, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• [Winslow] School committee mulls change of terms of merger, Scott Monroe, Morning Sentinel

September 24

• All atwitter about shutdown days, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• Super School Savings, Editorial, Bangor Daily News
  • Financial Strategies in Difficult Times, Commissioner Gendron, informational letter
• Marriage debate turns to schools, Susan M. Cover, Press Herald

September 23

• Highlights of the 2009 PDK / Gallup Poll on Education
• [Department of bumps on the fast-track] Maine schools delay collecting Social Security numbers, Matthew Stone, Press Herald
  • Postponement of Requirement to Collect Student Social Security Numbers, Commissioner Gendron, informational letter
• [Department of bumps on the fast-track] Schools will have to wait for flu vaccine, Matthew Stone, Morning Sentinel
  • Seasonal Flu Vaccination Clinics Delay; Additional H1N1 Planning Resources, Commissioner Gendron, informational letter
• [Department of dis-indoctrination]
  • [York] Obama speech debate lingers, Deborah McDermott, Portsmouth Herald
  • Changes to RSU 11 story by KJ editors 'were blatantly false', Steve Hunnewell, Kennebec Journal

September 22

• Committee prepares for consolidation repeal vote, Maine School Management Association bulletin
• Teacher Starting Salary vs. Annual Amount Spent on Inmates, Educator
• [Department of what you can get these days for $1.2 million out of $3.5 million in reorganization expenses] Transportation Routing Software, DoE informational letter
• Don't shut down the schools, Editorial, Sun Journal
• New RSU numbers cause confusion, Diana Bowley, Bangor Daily News

September 21

• Updated draft of Common Core Standards, National Governor's Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers
• [AOS: Waterville, Winslow, Vassalboro] Working to find a balance, Scott Monroe, Morning Sentinel

September 20

• Sheepscot Valley: Department of the Magic 8-ball] RSU 12 finally adopts working budget
• Alternatives sought for Maine students with special needs, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal

September 19

• Consultant touts standards-based education, Matthew Stone, Morning Sentinel
• School shutdown days could plug budget hole, Editorial, Press Herald

September 18

• State Officials Say School Administrators Wait in Limbo for Consolidation Referendum, A.J. Higgins, MPBN
• Shorter school days could be next budget cut, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• Shutdown days possible for schools, Mal Leary, Bangor Daily News
• Raising Rigor, Getting Results: Lessons Learned from AP Expansion, David Wakelyn, National Governor's Association
  ...results were achieved, in part, by providing [Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Nevada, and Wisconsin] with a framework for thinking about program and policy changes. The Advanced Placement Expansion project gave states three strategies: how to expand access to AP courses, build teacher and student capacity, and create incentives for schools and students.

September 17

• Ed Committee agenda, September 17-18, 2009
• Special education's public option, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• Obama speech controversy still hot in York, Deborah McDermott, Portsmouth Herald

September 16

• What to look for as Education Committee meets, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal

September 15

• Otis votes to stay outside of Ellsworth's RSU 24
  • ...152 to 134 (9/15/09)
  • ...57 to 37 (12/09/08)
• Harvard to offer a doctorate in education leadership, Tracy Jan, Boston Globe

September 14

• Looming Funding Cuts Worry School Superintendents, A.J. Higgins, MPBN
• [Department of the magic 8-ball] Another try for Sheepscot Valley RSU, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal

September 13

• Maine school heads fear state funding cuts: Maine Department of Education officials are anticipating a shortfall of $56 million next fiscal year, Deborah McDermott, Portsmouth Herald

September 12

• Can unions innovate?, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• State officials predict public school enrollments to continue downward trend. When will it end?, Christopher Cousins, Bangor Daily News

September 11

• Student ability to excel lost, Lori C. Wingo, Bangor Daily News
• [Department of the magic 8-ball] [Bingham] SAD 13 budget headed to vote after approval, Larry Grard, Morning Sentinel

September 10

• Some Academics Push Back on Teacher-Student Link in 'Race to the Top', Stephen Sawchuk, Teacher Beat, Ed Week
  • On Student Achievement and Teacher Evaluations, Stephen Sawchuk, Teacher Beat, Ed Week (8/20/2009)
• St. George Select Board backs repeal of school consolidation, Stephen Betts, Herald Gazette

September 9

• Federal Subsidies Immediately Available to Help with Two National Board Certification Activities, Commissioner Gendron, informational letter
• [MDI] Local schools pass or exceed state testing, Mac Smith, Bar Harbor Times
• [Department of customer complaints against implied warranty] Consolidation Transition, Editorial, Bangor Daily News

September 8

• President Obama speaks to students: Sept 8 at noon
• [Fewer, I mean more - from the Department of Consolidationist Rethink] Legalizing charter schools would help catch the eye of federal officials giving out $100 million grants, Ron Bancroft, Press Herald

September 7

[Lincoln] Ban lifted on speech by Obama, Meg Haskell, Bangor Daily News

September 6

• Despite push, year-round schools get mixed grades, Sally Holland, CNN
• Less school seems like the wrong answer, Bill Nemitz, Sunday Telegram

September 5

• [Department of 'Just Saying No'] Obama speech won't be shown in Gardiner, Mechele Cooper, Kennebec Journal
• Test scores poor tool for teacher evaluation, David B. Cohen and Alex Kajitani, Sacramento Bee

September 3

• [Department of astronomical tides of spittle] Obama's Plan to Speak to Schoolchildren Ignites Furor, Matthew Haag and Theodore Kim, Ed Week
• Lawmakers meet again to discuss budget cuts, Rebekah Metzler, Sun Journal
• DHHS: No more cuts possible, Kevin Miller, Bangor Daily News
  ...One idea discussed during a recent gathering of superintendents is keeping staff and children home for a few days each year.
  ...Other possible cost-saving strategies discussed by superintendents included wage freezes, statewide bidding for energy and statewide contracts and health benefits. There also appeared to be support for eliminating special education programs offered by Maine schools that go beyond federal requirements.

September 2

• Superintendents warned: State education aid cuts coming, Sun Journal

September 1

• Students don't give up privacy at schoolhouse door, Editorial, Press Herald

August 31

• Learning Isn't For Nine Months; It's Forever, Jay Mathews, Washington Post
  ...Still, we have some promising examples of teaching methods that have broken away from the back-to-school model. The Chugach School District in Alaska raised reading scores from the 28th to the 71st percentile in five years with a program that let students move at an individual pace, mastering one concept before moving to the next.
• Per-Student Spending Gaps Wider Than Known, Michael Birnbaum, Washington Post
  ...secular private schools analyzed in the study spent $20,100 on each student in the 2007-08 school year vs. $10,100 in public schools.
• Rural schools to wait and see, Betty Jesperson, Morning Sentinel
• Threat was 'bad politics,' says Mills, Betty Jesperson, Morning Sentinel

August 30

• [Department of broadened aspirations] Georgia students lag on SAT tests, Nancy Badertscher, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
  ...finished ahead of only South Carolina, Hawaii, Maine and the District of Columbia.

August 29

• School officials meet to trade cost-cutting tips, Matthew Stone, Press Herald

August 28

• [Statewide teachers' contract] From money drain to money saver, Matthew Stone, The Report Card

August 26

• SAT scores decrease for class of 2009, Justin Pope, AP
• [Department of broadened aspirations] Maine scores are steady, but below national average, AP
• School savings largely absent, Scott Monroe, Morning Sentinel
• Maine’s Race to the Top Chances, Maine View
• Schools and the Stimulus: Duncan Sets Bar On Fund, Michele McNeil, Ed Week
  ...The smallest grants will be for up to $5 million in seed money for “pure innovation”—ideas that aren’t proved but show promise.

August 25

• R.I. education chief calls low SAT scores 'unacceptable', Jennifer D. Jordan, Providence Journal
  ...Only Maine -- which boasts a 90 percent participation rate -- scored lower
• [Pittsfield] District touts summer teacher training, Scott Monroe, Morning Sentinel

August 24

• Neoliberalism, Charter Schools and the Chicago Model: Obama and Duncan's Education Policy: Like Bush's, Only Worse, Danny Weil, Counterpunch

August 23

• [video recording] Forum on Proposed Repeal of School Consolidation Laws (with Peter Geiger, Peter Mills, Skip Greenlaw, Scott Kaplan), Androscoggin Country Chamber of Commerce (8/06/2009)

August 22

• History's first draft: Newt Gingrich but no liberals: Textbooks being written for Texas students appear to lean to the right, Gary Scharrer, Houston Chronicle
• [Pittsfield] Superintendent returns full-time, Scott Monroe, Morning Sentinel

August 21

• [Livermore Falls] Student test scores show improvement, Donna M. Perry, Sun Journal
  ...All three groups have to meet the minimum standards, and if one group fails to meet them then the whole school is identified as not meeting annual yearly progress...
  ...This year the whole school and the economically disadvantaged group met the improvement requirements while special education didn't

August 20

• On Student Achievement and Teacher Evaluations, Stephen Sawchuk, Teacher Beat, Ed Week
• Few States Set World-Class Standards, Paul E. Peterson & Frederick M. Hess, Hoover Institution
• School leaders: Give honest budget news, Nok-Noi Ricker, Bangor Daily News

August 19

• [Department of the magic 8-ball] Voters reject SAD 37 budget for second time: 342-270 vote sends budget back to board, Downeast Coastal Press (not on-line)
  Addison: Y: 63; N: 32
  Cherryfield: Y: 26; N: 104
  Columbia: Y: 20; N: 38
  Columbia Falls: Y: 26; N: 84
  Harrington: Y: 74; N: 34
  Milbridge: Y: 61; N: 50

August 18

• Fed-generated momentum, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• Urban Education Secretary in Rural Hamlet, Michele McNeil, Politics K-12, Ed Week
• {You and US against the world] Special Analysis: International Assessments, National Center for Educational Statistics
• Maine Laptop Expansion Moves Forward, Katie Ash, Ed Week
• Studies Weigh NCLB's Broad Impact, Dakarai I. Aarons, Ed Week
  ...found that schools with enough Hispanic or black students to be counted as a separate subgroup were more likely to not meet AYP under the NCLB law and to lose experienced teachers after the failure to meet AYP is made public.
  ...Susan Anthony Elementary had 49 Hispanic students—not enough to count for a subgroup—and the school made AYP. But neighboring Caroline Wenzel Elementary had 52 Hispanic students, enough to count as a subgroup, and failed to meet AYP.

August 16

• Achieving a Wealth of Riches: Delivering on the Promise of Data to Transform Teaching and Learning, M Miller, Alliance for Excellent Education
• Dangling Money, Obama Pushes Education Shift, Sam Dillon, New York Times
• [NCLB] Schools complain standards unfair, Victoria Guay & Robert M. Cook, Laconia Citizen
• [View from PA] School District Consolidation is a Red Herring, Nathan A. Benefield & Fred D. Baldwin, Commonwealth Foundation

August 14

• More ‘meeting’ and ‘exceeding’ on MEA exams, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
  ...Officials say the testing switch — which includes every subject area but science — will save the state money, since Maine won’t have to develop an exam independently.
  ...But, for schools, the change means they’ll be unable to track student test progress because 2009 MEA test results won’t be comparable with 2010 NECAP scores.
• State to request cost-cutting ideas for budget from superintendents, Susan M. Cover, Kennebec Journal
• Maine Course Pathways: Regional Informational Sessions, Commissioner Gendron, informational letter

August 13

• Reading and Math Performance Improves, DoE press release
  • MEA results summary
• [Department of that ticking thing with the flashing LEDs that the technician installed in your basement a few weeks months ago] DoE rolls out the Longitudinal Data System
  • ...Blog
  • Data quality certification program
  • Training options
  • RFP
• Education Officials May Require Schools to Collect Students’ Social Security Numbers, Cindi Wood, Ellsworth American

August 12

• Ravitch on Charters, Kevin Drum, Mother Jones
• Raising Rigor, Getting Results: Lessons Learned from AP Expansion, National Governors Association Center for Best Practices
  ...Maine set up a mentoring initiative for
  new AP teachers as part of a larger effort to build
  a college-going culture. Mentors were paid a
  $2,500 honorarium and met officially three times
  per year with new AP teachers. Those who delivered
  extra workshops geared to teachers’ immediate
  needs were paid an extra $500 per day.
• [Department of dis-inflation] School cuts just starting, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• [Hampden, Winterport, Newburgh] SAD 22 leaders create education foundation, Eric Russell, Bangor Daily News

August 11

• DoE list of Former and Current School Systems

August 10

• Review of EPS: Has the funding formula done its job?, MSMA
• 60,000 New Students and 20,000 New Teachers: Results from the Census Bureau School Finances Report, Education Intelligence Agency
  • ...With more payroll chasing a flattening number of students, it's no surprise to discover that per-pupil spending rose a healthy 5.8% in 2006-07
  • 2006-07 State Rankings in Enrollment, Teachers, Per-Pupil Spending, and Spending on Compensation
  • ..."When you have senators and everyone else attacking public education, the public goes with the attack and teachers feel the frustration and lack of respect. Therefore without the incentive to stay in the classroom of a pay increase or seeing the support there in the public with our politicians, they just opt to retire. And teaching is a difficult job under the best of circumstances, and when you face constant criticism and attacks, it makes it that much more difficult." – West Virginia Education Association President Dale Lee. Last year at this time, about 860 teachers (out of 24,000) had announced plans to retire. This year, it's "about 100 more."

August 9

• School merger foes look to towns for funding, Matthew Stone, Sunday Telegram

August 8

• [Department of boxes within ballot boxes] Sheepscot Valley RSU: Residents voice concerns over consolidation , Mechele Cooper, Kennebec Journal
  ..."I think what you're seeing is people voting against consolidation," Barrett said. "They all want education, they're not voting against that. Some people tried to explain in letters to the editor that you need to separate the two issues, but in my opinion it's all one issue. We were forced to accept something we didn't want. And in Maine, if somebody forces something on you, it doesn't set right."
• [Manchester, Readfield, Mount Vernon, Wayne] RSU 38: New union faces cash-flow issue, Beth Evans, Kennebec Journal

August 7

• [Department of the magic 8-ball] Moscow and Bingham Voters: For the second time, 'no', Larry Grard, Morning Sentinel

August 6

• Superintendent's Conference Follow-Up - Standards Based Education, Commissioner Gendron, informational letter
  ...These events will provide the opportunities you requested in order for regions and districts to go deeper into the Model
• [Department of Prudence's dictations] School Unit 11 to discuss well, Mechele Cooper, Kennebec Journal
  ..."We are now an RSU, but we're not going to change bank accounts and turn everything over until the November referendum... We're just not going to spend money unwisely until we know definitively we're RSU 11."

August 5

• Education Commissioner Says Maine Must Move Towards National Standards, Maine Public Radio
  "...we can't afford to operate as 50 independent states. It's the same conversation I have locally in the state of Maine."
• [Monmouth] School officials tell selectmen to brace for budget increase, Craig Crosby, Kennebec Journal
• New candidate, new education platform, Matthew Stone, The Report Card

August 4

• Raise School Results: A Plan for Maine, Gubernatorial candidate Peter Mills
  ...Modern assessments can quickly and easily gauge student progress and school performance. We need better measurements, more incentives, timely remediation — and a longer school year to allow for daily physical exercise, supervised homework, and professional development among teachers.
• [The view from Michigan] Lawmakers, educators want public education reform, Diana Dillaber Murray, Journal Register News Service
  ...some districts may decide to just operate schools as long as they can during a school year and then close down when the money runs out. That’s what the Kalkaska school district did a couple of decades ago
• Rockland draws from surplus to bridge miscommunication gap, Stephen Betts, Herald Gazette
• Brewer’s special education funds cut, Nok-Noi Ricker, Bangor Daily News
• [Bingham, Madison] District to vote on newer, smaller budget, Larry Grard, Morning Sentinel
  ...A long budget process that began in the spring became a little longer last Thursday night, Malloy said, when voters agreed to use secret ballots on the 17 articles. ..."It was discontinued after 11 ballots," Malloy said. "It was getting later, and people were getting tired. I'm hoping that come Thursday, we're going to finish this process."

August 3

• [Sheepscot Valley RSU] 12 Schools budget rejection linked to low turnout, Mechele Cooper, Kennebec Journal
• Educators pool strategies to slow dropouts, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• Schools need more tools to address dropout issue, Editorial, Press Herald

July 31

• Per-pupil spending on instruction, administration, and support (06-07 Census data)
• Transparency of Common-Standards Process at Issue, Sean Cavanagh, Ed Week
• State aid to schools keeps falling, Erica Kimball & Shannon Welsh, Bangor Daily News
  ...While the state increased funding for K-12 education in 2005 after a statewide referendum requiring it to pay 55 percent of the costs, that goal has never been met and the percent is projected to drop to 45 percent state-share by fiscal year 2011. ...Pressure is now being put on schools not to exceed the amount determined by the Essential Programs and Services funding formula, which became law along with the 55 percent funding target. The irony is the EPS formula was developed to make sure districts were spending enough on education, not to be used as a spending cap.

July 30

• [Department of cold fusion and counter-marginal costs] A charter school proponent lays out his case, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
  ...For school districts, they could represent a savings, Bowen says, since only the amount of funding provided for in state funding formulas follows a student to a charter school. That doesn't include the amount in addition to what's provided for in the funding formula that most school districts spend. That amount stays with the school district with one less student to educate.
• [Department of high-stakes testing relief, free markets, and interstate innovation: the $444 Maine diploma] North Atlantic Regional High School, Lewiston
• The Great Graduation-Rate Debate, Christine O. Wolfe, Fordham Institute
• Top 10 [Race to the Top] Questions, Patrick Riccards, Eduflack

July 29

• New York Leads in Per-Pupil Public Education Spending at Nearly $16,000, Census Bureau Reports, US Census press release
  • Public Education Finances 2007, US Census Bureau
• Rockland blasts school district over costly miscommunication, Stephen Betts, Herald Gazette
• [Chelsea, Whitefield, Palermo, Somerville, Windsor, Alna, Westport Island, Wiscasset] Sheepscot school spending plan rejected, Kennebec Journal
• [Freeport, Pownbal, Durham] Voters In RSU No. 5 Approve School Budget, WMTW
• [Bingham, Moscow] District to vote again on budget, Colin Hickey, Morning Sentinel

July 28

• New York Leads in Per-Pupil Public Education Spending at Nearly $16,000, Census Bureau Reports, US Census press release
• State debates purchasing co-op for schools, Mal Leary, Bangor Daily News
  ...Webster suggested the savings could be greater by taking the next step and having the state negotiate a price for a commodity such as fuel oil for not only all state facilities, but schools as well. He said if a school wanted to pay more, they could, but the state would only reimburse through the school funding formula at the lower, state price.
• Summit Takes Aim at Dropout Rate, DoE press release
• Curbing student dropouts focus of forum at UMaine, Jessica Bloch, Bangor Daily News

July 27

• [Department of prescient fiscal prudence: Maine in top 10% of states not buying advanced teaching degrees] Separation of Degrees: State-By-State Analysis of Teacher Compensation for Master’s Degrees, Marguerite Roza & Raegen Miller, Center on Reinventing Public Education, University of Washington
  Compensation for Masters degrees represents a lower percentage of Maine's educational spending than every state but TX, OK, SD, & LA.
• Moving Forward From School Consolidation, Derek Viger, Augusta Insider
• [Syllabi, standards, and performance indicators] Maine Course Pathways: Save the Date, Commissioner Gendron, Informational Letter

July 25

• [Department of passed bucks: Why the state can't make its obligations: the locals picked up too much of the interim shortfall: The Cutting Continues, Editorial, Bangor Daily News
  ...The majority of school districts, for example, have consistently exceeded spending caps that were part of legislation requiring the state to fund 55 percent of K-12 education
• 'Race to Top' Guidelines Stress Use of Test Data, Michele McNeil, Ed Week
  • (And, re the longitudinal data, recall that ticking thing with the flashing LEDs that the technician installed in your basement a few weeks months ago)
• Greenville considering charter school status, Diana Bowley, Bangor Daily News
• [One for the money, more for the show...] Data Reporting Guidance for Alternative Organizational Structures, Commissioner Gendron, informational letter
• Charter schools as economic development, Matthew Stone, The Report Card

July 24

• What Happened to 280+ SAUs?, NancyH
• A federal innovation push, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
  • Obama Launches 'Race' for $4 Billion in Education Funds, William Branigin, Washington Post
  • [Obama interviewed on education vision] Obama Uses Funding to Get Education Changes, Washington Post
• [Common Core State Standards] Draft Content Standards Elicit Mixed Reviews, Sean Cavanagh and Catherine Gewertz, Ed Week
• Preamble
• English
• Math
• Common Core State Standards Initiative: FAQ
• Panel seeks $80M in state cuts, Mal Leary, Bangor Daily News
  ...Rep. John Martin, D-Eagle Lake, questioned Education Commissioner Susan Gendron about the number of school superintendents in the state. She responded it was 156 before consolidation efforts and is now 130.
• Schools, 'safety net' eyed for budget cuts, Susan M. Cover, Press Herald
  ...In the area of education, the [McKinsey] report identified $30 million to $50 million in potential state savings by cutting non-instructional expenses and consolidating teacher contracts. ...It also identified special education as an area where more efficiencies could be found, but did not specify a dollar amount to be saved.
• Schools to compete for $5B from stimulus law, Libby Quaid, AP
• [Sheepscot Valley, Palermo, Windsor] Tuesday's RSU 12 vote only about budget, not about consolidation, Jerry Nault, Kennebec Journal

July 23

• Lawmakers Grill Education Commissioner on Spending, A.J. Higgins, MPBN
• [Acton] Q&A with Alton Hadley- New Acton school leader, Andrea Rose, keepmecurrent
  ...folks in Acton like to think of themselves as an island. They've asked for an exemption and I think they make a strong case and should be treated like an island school district. They've made due diligence to try partner with Sanford and Wells-Ogunquit, but it's not a good fit because 1. There's no cost savings and 2. There's no interest from other districts. I don't think there's any (other) place locally that would be logical.
• [Federal money and laptops] An Apple for Your Teacher, Anne Marie Chaker, Wall Street Journal

July 22

• The Death of Quality by Consensus: What to Avoid in the Search for Common Standards, Quentin Suffren, Ed Week
• [Questioning the educational benefits of education] Report Urges Halt to Extra Pay for Master's Degrees, Stephen Sawchuk, Ed Week
• [Road to standards-based schools] 2009 Maine DoE and RISC Summer Institute: Moving from a standards-referenced system to a performance-based system, Aug 3-6, Gray, Maine
  • Flyer
  • Agenda
• [Laptops] Leadership that Maine people deserve, Yvon Labbé and Tony Brinkley, Bangor Daily News
• RSU 5 Townsfolk Hash Out New School Budget: Freeport, Durham, Pownal Voters To Answer $22.7M Question, WMTW

July 21

• [Jay] State subsidy to stay in town, school account, Donna M. Perry, Sun Journal
• Summary of Major Laws Related to Education Enacted by the First Regular Session of the 124th Maine Legislature, DoE informational letter
• New round of state cuts may slash entire programs, Matt Wickenheiser, Press Herald
  ...There is "huge, huge variation" in what similar-sized schools spend per pupil around the state ...and little correlation with learning results. Alfond said he wants to investigate which schools spend less per pupil and get good learning results, to see whether those circumstances can be replicated.
• Asa Gordon a pioneer for education in Maine, Carroll R. McGary, Kennebec Journal
• [University tenure] The boldest change yet, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• Augusta misses laptops, keith Edwards, Kennebec Journal
• [Freeport, Pownal, Durham] RSU 5 hopes to increase budget awareness as 2nd town meeting approaches, Amy Anderson, Forecaster

July 17

• [Farmington, Hallowell] 2 school leaders tapped for consolidation honors, [release], Kennebec Journal
• [Farmington] SAD 9 meets, with new name, Valerie Tucker, Kennebec Journal
  ...Superintendent Michael Cormier explained the process of adopting the new name as required by the Maine Department of Education. The official name will be Regional School Unit 9, or RSU 9.
• [Saco, Dayton, Old Orchard Beach] Board hopes leaner school budget passes test, Edward D. Murphy, Press Herald

July 16

• [Maine, NH, VT, RI] Conference to look at taking regional approach to education, Talia Buford, Providence Journal
• Community colleges key to economic revival?, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• [Rockland, Thomaston] Regional School Unit 13 hires two managers, Stephen Betts, Herald Gazette
  ..."Some reductions simply have to wait until we are under way as a new entity so we can get past the transition period (which takes more time from everyone) and see what services we will provide and how best to provide them," the superintendent said. "Everyone we hire at the district level is aware of this. The RSU is a tremendous opportunity not only for efficiencies but also for us to re-examine what we are doing."

July 15

• Reorganized School Districts Open for Business: 26 25 (24*) new Regional School Units began operations on July 1, DoE press release
  • Maine education officials tout reorganization, WGME
• [NH mandates and funds 'adequacy'] NH gov signs school accountability bill, Norma Love, AP
• School consolidation repeal effort starved for cash, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• Money meant for poor kids shouldn't go for laptops for all, Editorial, Press Herald
• [MDI] 'Dr. G-J' starts job as high school principal, Dick Broom, Bar Harbor Times

July 14

• Common Core Standards: Secretive, expensive and wrong, Laurie H. Rogers, EducationNews.org
• Education Chief Urges Union to Aid Reform Push, Nick Anderson, Washington Post
• [Sheepscot Valley] Leftovers to lessen tax hunger, Mechele Cooper, Kennebec Journal

July 13

• The National Governors Association Takes Action to Reform Teaching - With No Teacher Input, Dan Brown, Huffington Post (7/06)
• New Hancock County districts gear up for school year, Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News
• Maine Dropout Prevention Summit, America's Promise Alliance
• RSU 13 voting and Thomaston's prisoners, Josiah R. Wilson, knox.villagesoup.com

July 11

• Why We're Behind, commoncore.org
• Everybody Hates The Teachers' Unions Now, Mickey Kaus, kausfiles, Slate
• Laptop funding rejected, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• [Portland, Bangor, Augusta, Madison] Funding for high school laptops denied, Kelley Bouchard, Press Herald

July 10

• [View from Buckfield] School merger law has created many problems statewide, Judith Berg, Press Herald
  ...Reorganization with tax reform might have yielded cost reductions. However, we ended up with half-measures that may not reduce costs, might increase them, and have little positive effect on education. As it stands, there is this choice: Vote down the school budget or vote for repeal in November.

July 9

• [More on the green, green grass of Bath] Report touts RSU 1 as planning model, Seth Koenig, Times Record
• [Freeport, Pownal, Durham] Rejected school budget grows, Deirdre Fleming, Press Herald
  PPH Correction: • A story on Thursday should have said the board of directors for Regional School Unit No. 5, which comprises Freeport, Durham and Pownal, approved a 2009-10 school budget totaling $22.69 million. The new budget reflects cuts totaling $85,831 from the previous 2009-10 budget, which was rejected by voters in June. The board also reinstated 2.5 high school teaching positions that had been cut from the budget.
• RSU 5 board cuts $86K from budget for Freeport, Pownal, Durham, Amy Anderson, Forecaster

July 8

• Standards-Based Education in Maine (Materials from the June 28-30, 2009 Superintendents Conference), DoE

July 7

• [Addison, Cherryfield, Columbia, Columbia Falls, Harrington, Milbridge] SAD 37 Voters Overwhelmingly Reject Budget 178-332, Downeast Coastal Press [not on-line]
• Stabilization Funds may be incurred as of Feb. 17, DoE Recovery and Reinvestment Report
• [Jay] School penalty money to be returned to system by state not authorized to be spent, Donna M. Perry, Sun Journal

July 6

• [Freeport, Pownal, Durham] After defeat at polls, RSU 5 board hopes to make better case for fiscal 2010 budget, Amy Anderson, Forecaster
• Defending School Consolidation, Augusta Insider

July 4

• Consolidation won't work because costs are more than savings, Skip Greenlaw, Kennebec Journal
• [Chelsea, Whitefield, Palermo, Somerville, Windsor, Alna, Westport Island and Wiscasset] School unit in limbo, Mechele Cooper, Kennebec Journal
  ..."We put out (a request for proposals) for a central office, but people were reluctant to make changes until the vote in November to repeal the consolidation.

July 3

• State's schools chief to parley, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
  • Common Core State Standards Development Work Group and Feedback Group Announced, National Governors Association press release
• ["...and then let simmer for eight years": a recipe for nutritious, stickless carrot soup] Avoiding consolidation's pitfalls, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
  • How the Bath Area Made Reorganization Work, Douglas Rooks, Maine Children's Alliance

July 2

• [Shifts happen] Don't judge merger law by one difficult case, Editorial, Press Herald
• [Anson, Solon, Embden, New Portland] Voters narrowly approve district's budget, Colin Hickey, Morning Sentinel
• [Presque Isle, Castle Hill, Chapman, Mapleton, Westfield] Revamped SAD 1 budget approved, Jen Lynds, Bangor Daily News
• Hadley to head Acton schools, David Harry, Sanford-Sprinvale Register
  ...Gendron has requested more information on the district’s efforts to share costs with the Sanford School District
• 6 Maine superintendents win recognition, Kelley Bouchard, Kennebec Journal
• CCSSO Welcomes Board President Sue Gendron, press release, Council of Chief State School Officers
• Gendron named president of national group, Matthew Stone, mainetoday.com

July 1

• Spending for Freeport-area schools may hinge on turnout, Deirdre Fleming, Press Herald
• [Canaan, Cornville, Mercer, Smithfield, Norridgewock and Skowhegan] Voters OK revised budget, Doug Harlow, Morning Sentinel
• [Houlton, Hammond, Littleton, Monticello] SAD 29 refuses to change budget, Jen Lynds, Bangor Daily News
• Laptops on order, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• Schools opt out of laptop plan: Brewer considers buying netbooks, Walter Griffin, Bangor Daily News

June 30

• New law in New Jersey aims to close the book on school districts without schools, Geoff Mulvihill, AP
• School's out for non-operating districts in New Jersey, Tom Hester, Sr., newjerseynewsroom.com
• Maine districts to put returned funds toward capital improvements, Laura Dolce, Portsmouth Herald

June 29

• [Department of the present perfect en retard] If the school law stands, enforce it, Editorial, Sun Journal
  "...Otherwise, what's been the point?"
• Fayette, Winthrop ignore RSU planning, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• Greenlaw ratchets up rhetoric on school consolidation, Thomas Hanson, Examiner
• What can you believe about charter schools?, Matthew Stone, The Report Card

June 26

• [Freeport, Pownal, Durham] RSU 5 budget fails by 79 votes as Pownal, Durham voters balk, Amy Anderson, Forecaster
• [Freeport, Pownal, Durham] RSU 5 rejects budget, Rachel Ganong, Times Record
• [Freeport] Durham, Pownal defeat budget , Deirdre Fleming, Press Herald
• [Annals of Budget Validation: A view from Cumberland, North Yarmouth] Who's drinking the school consolidation Kool-Aid?, Betts Gorsky, Forecaster

June 25

• [Bingham, Moscow] SAD 13 Budget soundly rejected, Scott Monroe, Morning Sentinel

June 24

• Acton takes merger plea to Augusta, Ann Fisher, keepmecurrent.com
  ...One possibility that hasn't been discussed is an interstate compact with bordering New Hampshire. There have been no school districts that have taken advantage of the Maine-New Hampshire Interstate School Compact statute, which covers formation, officers and borrowing and applicability of state laws, among other issues, according to Connerty-Marin.
• Will patience bring progress in school reform?, Editorial, Journal Tribune
• [By the numbers] Where the students are (updated, 6/24)
  • Detail on enrollment numbers in districts exempt from reorganization, NancyH
• Baldacci Signs One-Year Delay on School Penalties, Will Tuell, Downeast Coastal Press
• Governor Baldacci Signs Bill to Delay Penalties for School Districts, Governor's press release and Executive Order (6/19)
  ...hereby order the following: That the Commissioner of the Department of Education continue efforts to facilitate school administrative reorganization among the school administrative units, which represent about 12 percent of the State’s students, that have not come into compliance with PL 2007, chapter 240, Part XXXX by July 1, 2009. The Commissioner is directed to confer with representatives of each of the school administrative units that are not in compliance with the reorganization law, to determine the reasons for delay; and to determine whether current law allows sufficient flexibility for units to come into compliance. The Commissioner is directed to report to me no later than January 1, 2010 with any recommendations for changes needed to assist all school administrative units with the reorganization law, and to further assist all units.
• Consolidation delay doesn't mean do nothing, Editorial, Kennebec Journal
• Local schools begin getting stimulus funds, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal

June 23

• Activist renews call for Maine school merger repeal, Matthew Stone, Press Herald
• Group eyeing strategy to repeal consolidation, Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News
• Schools: Carrot or Stick?, Editorial, Bangor Daily News
• Court Favors Parents in Battle Over Special-Education Tuition, Robert Barnes and Nelson Hernandez, Washington Post
• With disabilities no obstacle, school salutes its inspiration, James Vaznis, Boston Globe
• Education Recovery Checks are in the Mail, DoE press release
  • Spreadsheet showing distribution
• Penalties delayed, new 279s being issued, MSMA

June 22

• Chairman of Coalition to Save Schools calls consolidation law 'blackmail', Beth Staples, Capital Weekly
• [Mariaville, Otis] Beech Hill School straddles RSU, Bonnie Robinson, Ellsworth American

June 21

• Consolidation's best bet, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• Dazed & Confused, Downeast Schoolhouse

June 20

• Baldacci delays consolidation penalties, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• More than half of schools seen joining state laptop program, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• [Houlton, Hammond, Littleton, Monticello] Voters nix increases in SAD 29 spending, Jen Lynds, Bangor Daily News
• [Presque Isle] Revised SAD 1 budget set for hearing, Jen Lynds, Bangor Daily News

June 19

• School districts won't be penalized: Governor stresses need for compliance, Kevin Miller, Bangor Daily News
• Baldacci signs consolidation penalty delay, Matthew Stone, mainetoday.com
• School bills enacted in 2009 legislative session
• School bills carried over from 2009 legislative session

June 18

• $23.5M school budget goes to voters in Freeport, Pownal, Durham, Amy Anderson, Forecaster
• [Saco, Dayton, Old Orchard Beach] Voters reject RSU 23 budget, Gillian Graham, Biddeford Courier
• Mixed news on charter schools, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• Schools await fate of penalties bill, Kevin Miller, Bangor Daily News

June 17

• Vermont on Maine's fast track?, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• Budget debate for new school unit draws crowd to Freeport, David Hench, Press Herald
• Cumberland, North Yarmouth voters OK school budget on 2nd attempt, Sarah Trent, Forecaster

June 16

• Many students' problems vanish with 'right' grades, Alan Haley, Morning Sentinel

June 15

• [Portland seeks a waiver to use Title 1 funds] Difficult time to add new laptops, Kelley Bouchard, Press Herald
• [Saco, Dayton, Old Orchard Beach] RSU 23 board to map out next budget move, Edward D. Murphy, Press Herald
  The budget is about 4.2 percent more than the combined budget for the three communities this year, and officials objected to increased spending at a time when most municipal budgets are being held in check because of the poor economy.
• [Milbridge, Cherryfield, Harrington, Columbia Falls, Addison] SAD 37 residents have new plan to cut costs, Sharon Kiley Mack, Bangor Daily News
• [MDI] High school sends 137 into the world, Dick Broom, Bar Harbor Times

June 14

• Two Years of Hard Lessons For D.C. Schools' Agent of Change, Bill Turque, Washington Post

June 12

• LD 977, the initiated repeal bill, is dead in the legislature
• [Presque Isle, Castle Hill, Chapman, Mapleton, Westfield] SAD 1 board to retackle budget after voters’ rejection, Jen Lynds, Bangor Daily News
• [Chelsea, Whitefield, Palermo, Somerville, Windsor, Alna, Westport Island, Wiscasset] Budget process to begin anew, Mechele Cooper, Kennebec Journal

June 11

• Baldacci signs school cooperatives law, Matthew Stone, mainetoday.com
• [Chelsea, Whitefield, Palermo, Somerville, Windsor, Alna, Westport Island, Wiscasset] Budget process begins again for district, Mechele Cooper, Kennebec Journal
• Monmouth: Voters reject funding schools, police, Craig Crosby, Kennebec Journal
• [Andover, Bethel, Greenwood, Newry, Woodstock] SAD44 will not have to make any further consolidation efforts, Alison Aloisio, Bethel Citizen
• Pownal voters show displeasure with RSU, Amy Anderson, Forecaster

June 10

• Awaiting Baldacci, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• [Andover, Bethel, Greenwood, Newry, Woodstock] SAD 44 released from merger, Eileen M. Adams, Sun Journal
• Results of school budget validation referendum in MDI Regional School System
• Ed Committee's perspective on HS laptops and GPA
• Pownal votes to reconsider reorganization
• [Central Maine] All but one school budget gains approval, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• Senate, House Divided Over School Law Repeal, Both Pass Penalty Reprieve, Will Tuell, Downeast Coastal Press
• East Machias School Dept. on Right Track, Will Tuell, Downeast Coastal Press
• Charters voted down, penalties delayed, Maine School Management Association

June 9

• Will schools splinter or consolidate?, clickback, Bangor Daily News
• [View from Yarmouth: Annals of Budget Validation] How to ruin a good Town Meeting, Edgar Allen Beem, Forecaster

June 8

• [Wiscasset, Westport Island, Alna, Chelsea, Palermo, Somerville, Whitefield and Windsor] RSU 12 budget’s slashed ... but is it enough?, Seth Koenig, Times Record

June 6

• Consolidation gets low grades, Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News
• House, Senate split on repealing school consolidation mandate, Kevin Miller, Bangor Daily News
• [Bullets over Bangor] The Case for Consolidation, Editorial, Bangor Daily News
• House OKs legislation on charter schools, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal

June 5

• House supports charter schools, mdischools.net
• [Saco, Old Orchard Beach, Dayton] Officials urge revolt against RSU budget, Jonathan Hunt, keepmecurrent
• Senate: Repeal consolidation, Matthew Stone and Susan Cover, Kennebec Journal
• [Chelsea, Whitefield, Palermo, Somerville, Windsor, Alna, Westport, Wiscasset] Sheepscot Valley RSU: Painful cuts leave higher tax anyway, Mechele Cooper, Kennebec Journal
• Senate rejects charter schools, risking U.S. funds, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal

June 4

• [Whitefield, Westport, Chelsea, Wiscasset, Palermo] RSU 12 Voters Hack Budget By Nearly $2 Million, Lucy L. Martin, Lincoln County News
  ...Asked to comment afterward, RSU chairman Lester Sheaffer said he expected opposition "but not this. This is nuts."
• Senate votes to delay penalties and repeal consolidation, mdischools.net
• Maine Senate at Odds With House on School Consolidation RepealSenate Votes to Repeal School Consolidation Law, A.J. Higgins, Maine Public Radio
• Raye/Mills on schools, Susan Cover, On Maine Politics
• A second round of consolidation?, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• Consolidation law survives repeal effort in Legislature, Stephen Betts, Herald Gazette
• House backs delay for consolidation penalties, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• Bill to repeal RSU law fails, Kevin Miller, Bangor Daily News
• Maine Municipal begs to differ, Geoff Herman, Kennebec Journal
• Bar Harbor OKs $18M budget, capital improvements spending, Bill Trotter, Bangor Daily News
• [Freeport, Pownal, Durham] RSU 5 budget press release
• [Freeport, Pownal, Durham] RSU 5 limps to budget’s finish line, Rachel Ganong, Times Record

June 3

• Penalty and repeal bills on today's House calendar (with roll call votes)
• House rejects school merger repeal, backs penalty delay, Matthew Stone, mainetoday.com
• A consolidation debate looms, Matthew Stone, The Report Card

June 1

• 46 States, D.C. Plan to Draft Common Education Standards, Maria Glod, Washington Post
• Mixed signs on a reform agenda, Matthew Stone, The Report Card

May 30

• [Allagash, Fort Kent] Voters approve AOS for SADs 27, 10, Julia Bayly, Bangor Daily News

May 29

• Educating Ourselves to Oblivion, William Astore, TomDispatch
• [Corinna, Newport, Palmyra, St. Albans] Four SAD 48 towns to pay more in taxes, Scott Monroe, Morning Sentinel
• [Ellsworth] RSU 24 voters pass a budget eliminating tuition payments, Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News
• The budget's consolidation connection, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• Acton spared bigger school cuts, David Harry, Sanford Register

May 28

• [...Yes, but doesn't EPS cover AP?] School funding law encourages elitism, Betsy M. Webb, Bangor Daily News
• Lawmakers propose state aid for Pownal, Deirdre Fleming, Press Herald
• Routine school budgets should not require a vote, Dick Woodbury, Press Herald
• [Cumberland, North Yarmouth] SAD 51 voters deadlock on school budget, Sarah Trent, Forecaster
• Instead of ‘charter schools,’ strengthen existing school programs, Brian Hirst, Times Record
• Brewer refuses laptop initiative, citing hidden costs, Nok-Noi Ricker, Bangor Daily News
• [Ellsworth] RSU 24 Approves Laptops For High Schoolers, Jacqueline Weaver, Ellsworth American
• Augusta: Board widens laptop pursuit, Keith Edwards, Kennebec Journal
  ...heard from Education Commissioner Susan Gendron that the state will ask the federal government for a waiver to allow Maine to use portions of two sources of stimulus money for laptops that generally must be dedicated for literacy and special education.
• [Skowhegan] SAD 54: Voters object to bus plan , Scott Monroe, Morning Sentinel
  ...no sense in squabbling over a done deal, so just reject the budget at the polls.

May 27

• [Ellsworth] Voters Approve RSU 24 Budget; Validation Vote is Next, Jacqueline Weaver, Ellsworth American
• Downsized budget gets first OK in House vote, Matt Wickenheiser, Press Herald
  ...Identical amendments filed by Reps. Peter Johnson, R-Greenville, and Howard McFadden, R-Dennysville, sought to repeal penalties for school districts that don't conform with the state's consolidation law. Lawmakers rejected that, 89-57.
  • Roll call on vote to postpone amendment to eliminate penalties
• [Bucksport] Voters in RSU 25 OK $14.9M budget, Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News
• [Presque Isle] $23M SAD 1 budget awaits voters’ OK, Jen Lynds, Bangor Daily News

May 26

• [A view from the arts side] What is happening in Maine with standards based education?, Argy Nestor, MeArtsEd
• SAD 51 budget vote results in tie, Dennis Hoey, mainetoday.com
• [Dell speaks] Schools should make their own decisions on laptops, Mark Horan, Bangor Daily News

May 25

• [Dover-Foxcroft] Consolidation fine hangs up budget process for SAD 68, Diana Bowley, Bangor Daily News
• [Bucksport] RSU 25 towns to vote on first school budget, Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News

May 23

• Education case settled for $1.5M, Jen Lynds, Bangor Daily News

May 22

• Committee says graduation bill needs more work, MSMA
• What's next for Maine charter schools?, Matthew Stone, The REport Card
• Holding out hope, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• Legislature should back charter school law, Editorial, Press Herald

May 21

• Charter schools fail test, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• RSU 5 sorts through cost-sharing options: Special legislation, Freeport rebate among Gendron’s suggested solutions, Beth Brogan, Times Record
• Dept. of Education: Pause not an option for Freeport-Pownal-Durham RSU, Amy Anderson, Forecaster
• [Following $794K error, coastal towns take hit] RSU 24 Board Approves $32M School Budget; Voters to Decide May 26, Jacqueline Weaver, Ellsworth American
• Senate president rips consolidation, Susan M. Cover, Morning Sentinel
• [...So goes Pennsylvania] Leaders get input on school consolidation, Evan Brandt, Pottstown Mercury
• Flexibility key to diploma proposal, Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News
• It's time we had new standards for education, Editorial, Kennebec Journal
• Otis school budget approved, then rejected, Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News

May 20

• [Freeport, Pownal, Durham] Press release on May 18 budget meeting, RSU 5
• Teacher retirement amendment pulled from budget, Maine School Management Association
• Paying for teacher retirement, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• [Freeport, Pownal, Durham] Commissioner: Towns must act on school budget , Deirdre Fleming, Press Herald
• School elections unneeded for uncontroversial budgets, Editorial, Press Herald
  ...law could be amended to call for a vote for any budget that results in a tax increase, or one that increases spending above the Consumer Price Index.
• [Allagash, Fort Kent]
  Consolidation vote looms for SADs 27, 10, Julia Bayly, Bangor Daily News
• Mattawamkeag voters opt to close school, Nick Sambides Jr., Bangor Daily News
• 'Innovation' Push Raising Questions, Catherine Gewertz, Education Week

May 19

FACT CHECK: Are US students really that bad?, Libby Quaid, AP

May 18

• No more delays on Learning Results, Editorial, Press Herald
  ...never intended to be a statewide curriculum, or meant to be assessed through high-stakes testing. Individual districts were expected to come up with their own ways to reach the goals and multiple methods of evaluating student achievement. That put a financial burden on school districts that wasn't always supported by the state.
• Superintendent stays with Lincoln schools, Nick Sambides Jr., Bangor Daily News
  ...“I am trying to think of something that changed and, frankly, I cannot. It’s the same towns and same people on the boards, essentially.”
• Mattawamkeag to revisit school closing, Nick Sambides Jr., Bangor Daily News
  ...short-term, our costs in town would increase by 68 percent, but once you lose that attraction to live here in town, then you either lose people or you don’t have a draw to bring them to town, ...One way or another, you lose taxes.”

May 16

• Budget amendment to move teacher retirement funds into GPA account, Rep. Millett
• [Freeport, Pownal, Durham] RSU 5 lashes out at Gendron, Rachel Ganong, Times Record
• Requirements for grads of Maine high schools at issue at Statehouse, Matthew Stone, Morning Sentinel
  • Notes from Ed Committee work session, Brian Hubbell
• Charter schools for Maine? Part 2, Steve Bowen, Maine Heritage Policy Center
  ...The Portland school system is currently spending $10 million more than EPS says it should. If it sent ALL its kids to charter schools for the EPS rate, it would SAVE taxpayers $10 million, no matter how many schools were built.

May 15

• High School Diploma Standards Fact Sheet, DoE handout [updated, 5/15]
  • "High School Diploma Standards Fact Sheet", Henri Gignoux
  • HS Diploma Requirements, Nancy H
  • Higher Standards, Editorial, Bangor Daily News
• Student tracking bill approved, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• Charter Schools, Matthew Stone, Kennebec Journal
• [Camden’s Community School] Entire teaching staff laid off, Abigail Curtis, Bangor Daily News
• School out for summer — perhaps forever — at Toddy Pond, Steve Fuller, Republican Journal
• Closing neighborhood school a painful event, Editorial, Morning Sentinel
• [Freeport, Pownal, Durham] citizens plead with legislators for consolidation "pause", Freeport Families for Education list-serv
• State Budget Update: Teachers’ Retirement, MMA
• Proposal could shift teacher retirement costs onto communities, Maine School Management Association
• The education president, Stephen Bowen, knox.villagesoup.com

May 14

• [Pownal, Freeport, Durham] Consolidation budget draws ire of residents, Deirdre Fleming, Press Herald
• Report Card on School District Reorganization in Maine, Gordon Donaldson
• Pownal grant pulled, Rachel Ganong, Times Record
• Cherryfield voters opt to keep school open; Columbia Falls residents decide to close elementary school in face of tax burden, Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News
• Millinocket council to vote on consolidation fine repeal, Nick Sambides Jr., Bangor Daily News
• Monmouth school officials say tax increase not based on school budget, Craig Crosby, Kennebec Journal
• [Westport weighs withdrawal] Hike in education costs worry island selectmen, Charlotte Boynton, Wiscasset Newspaper
• Legislature to vote on education budget, Maine School Management Association
• RSU 5 delays budget vote, wants to put brakes on reorganization; state won't allow it, Amy Anderson, Forecaster

May 13

• Studying consolidation's impact, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• Monmouth school spending to jump $300,000, Craig Crosby, Mainetoday.com
• Property taxes skew SAD 63 town shares, Non-Noi Ricker, Bangor Daily News
• Pownal faces 'perfect storm' after education chief withdraws offer to offset school taxes, Amy Anderson, Forecaster

May 12

• Graduation requirements legislation ignites debate, Matthew Stone, Morning Sentinel

May 11

• Commissioner and Education Committee discuss DoE proposal to send $190K to Pownal, Nancy H

May 10

• Gendron offers grant to Pownal, Beth Brogan, Times Record

May 9

• Administrators on double duty, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• Pownal to get state funds to help offset school tax increase, Amy Anderson, Forecaster

May 8

• Commissioner offers "reverse penalty" grant to Pownal to offset consolidation costs
• [Pownal, Freeport, Durham] RSU 5 team takes case to Gendron, Rachel Ganong, Times Record

May 7

• RSU 5, state education chief to discuss relief for Pownal, Amy Anderson, Forecaster
• Education Committee Considers Charter Schools, Tom Porter, Moiane Public Radio
• Pownal vote seeks to repeal school consolidation; no answers for RSU budget woes, Amy Anderson, Forecaster

May 6

• Doubts for the compliant, too, Matthew Stone, The Report Card
• A Floor or a Ceiling? A Brief History of the Essential Programs and Services model, Stephen Bowen, Maine Heritage Policy Center
• York School Committee forwards budget, Jessey Taylor, York Weekly
• [Bucksport] School consolidation process is showing some savings for the Regional School Unit 25
  ...Much of the savings comes from the elimination of tuition payments, Boothby said. SAD 18 towns paid tuition to Bucksport for all of their students to attend Bucksport schools. Orland paid tuition to Bucksport for high school students.     ...That reduction in expenses, however, is offset by a reduction in revenues. In the past, Bucksport counted those tuition payments as revenue.
• [Dexter] SAD 46 and Harmony approve school union, Diana Bowley, Bangor Daily News
• [Lincoln] RSU 67 elects new school board, Nick Sambides Jr., Bangor Daily News
  ...She might not know it yet, but Lincoln’s Sarah Crockett can serve on the new board of directors for the new regional school unit of Chester, Lincoln and Mattawamkeag after a decidedly underwhelming voter turnout on Tuesday, poll officials said. ...Crockett received 21 write-in votes from the 167 voters — out of about 3,400 registered voters — who participated in the special school board election
• Camden school officials support bill to delay consolidation penalties, Kim Lincoln, Herald Gazette
• Bill Raises Debate About Charter Schools, Christopher Cousins, Ellsworth American
• Vassalboro: 150 attend budget meeting, Scott Monroe, mainetoday.com

May 5

• Laptops for high school students: At what cost?, Larry Grard, Morning Sentinel
• Pupil tracking idea elicits privacy worry Plan involves Social Security numbers, Matthew Stone, Morning Sentinel
• Surry officials to vote on Union 93 services, Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News
  ...Although the reorganization law allows school unions to continue to exist, education officials have indicated that it does not allow them to change the composition of those unions.
• Judge orders votes on closing schools, Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News
  ...“I’m upset and disappointed that things have come to this point,” said Columbia Falls Selectman Vance Pineo. “I’m wondering — if the selectmen have to sign the warrant whether we want to or not, why the school district didn’t just post it themselves.”

May 4

• [Same, but different] RSU 67 voting set for Tuesday in Lincoln area, Nick Sambides Jr., Bangor Daily News
• Ed Committee votes, Monday, 5/04, Nancy H
  • ...More votes, JSproule
• Letter to Education Committee, Maine Coalition to Save Schools

May 3

• Pushing a reform agenda, Matthew Stone, The Report Card

May 1

• Explanation of change package, DoE, 5/01/2009
  • Appropriations Committee briefing at 10:00AM: live audio
• Graph of state and local shares of education costs including federal "stabilization" overlay and proposed curtailments for FY 10-11, Jim Rier, 5/01/2009
• Pownal out of luck?, Rachel Ganong, Times Record

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