UMaine System to hire ombudsman to assist retirees with insurance change
The ombudsman will be charged with helping to guide the transition to a new health insurance exchange that has met pushback from unions and retired employees.
View ArticleGray-New Gloucester High moves to remote learning after two positive COVID cases
The school will reopen for in-person instruction on Nov. 30, according to the superintendent.
View ArticleSouth Portland school superintendent announces pending departure
Ken Kunin, who became superintendent in 2015, will leave the job in June.
View ArticleGreen New Deal for Portland could add $6 million to school renovation costs
School officials are seeking clarity from the city on whether the voter-approved ordinance would apply to 3 renovation projects and, if so, to what extent.
View ArticlePortland High students petition district to stop plans for more in-person...
The petition, signed by more than 230 people as of Wednesday evening, cites rising coronavirus cases and the likelihood of increased contacts over the Thanksgiving holiday.
View ArticleUMaine System pauses health insurance change after retirees sue
The lawsuit stems from the decision to switch the retirees from a group benefits plan to a Medicare exchange.
View ArticleLewiston High School closes again after positive staff case confirmed; school...
After a staff member tests positive for COVID-19 on the day school reopens, LHS is going back to remote learning.
View ArticleColby receives multimillion-dollar gifts for new hockey arena
The 38,650-square-foot ice arena will be named the O'Neil | O'Donnell Forum, while the rink will be named for hockey Hall of Famer and former Colby coach Jack Kelley.
View Article‘It’s gotten nasty’: Clash over racial equity work roils Cumberland
Six months after SAD 51 issued two racial equity letters, the district continues to see backlash from a resident who has alleged an illegal meeting and hiring.
View ArticleAs cases rise, Maine colleges prepare to send students home to finish semester
Colleges around Maine will send students home to finish the semester remotely after Thanksgiving, but only after testing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during travel.
View ArticleThanksgiving lessons jettison Pilgrim hats, welcome truth
More U.S. schools are rethinking traditional Thanksgiving lessons that focus on the English settlers but teach little about Native Americans.
View ArticleCOVID-19 outbreak pushes South Portland High School to all-remote learning
The high school has had three confirmed cases within 14 days and will begin all-remote learning on Monday.
View ArticleUMaine System, unions settle dispute over retirees’ health insurance
The deal affects about 3,000 retirees, who will now have the option of keeping a group health plan that would have been replaced by a health exchange system.
View ArticlePortland schools postpone resumption of in-person learning for high-schoolers
Students in grades 10-12 had objected to the planned resumption, which had been pushed by many of their parents.
View ArticleMaine schools stick to in-person instruction as coronavirus numbers rise
COVID cases are increasing in schools, but officials say they have seen little evidence of transmission in school buildings and plan to continue offering in-person learning as long as it's safe.
View ArticleDeVos extends moratorium on federal student loan payments through January
The freeze on payments and interest, first imposed in March and later extended, had been set to expire Dec. 31.
View ArticlePortland childcare programs in jeopardy without more federal coronavirus funds
A proposal headed to the school board for discussion Tuesday would discontinue community childcare programs for students on days they're not in school, with federal relief funding about to run out.
View Article‘Our kids are the sacrifices’: Parents push schools to open
Those who are unhappy with distance learning are taking increasingly vocal roles in calling for more in-person instruction through grassroots organizing and legal challenges.
View ArticleFormer Portland schools superintendent Caulk dies at 49
Emmanuel 'Manny' Caulk led Portland Public Schools from 2012 to 2015 before taking a job as a superintendent in Kentucky, where he had recently been on medical leave.
View ArticleSchools confront ‘off the rails’ numbers of failing grades
Districts report the number of failing students has doubled, and in some cases, tripled.
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