Portland council sends school bond to committee; November vote unlikely
The Portland City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to form a committee to study a $70.6 million proposal to improve four elementary schools that have not been updated in nearly 50 years. Councilors...
View ArticleAnother 10 states sue Obama administration over directive for transgender...
Ten additional states are suing the Obama administration to stop a directive that requires schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms aligned with their gender identity under the threat of...
View ArticleAugusta schools consider substance abuse rules
AUGUSTA — The Augusta Board of Education on Wednesday will consider drug, alcohol and tobacco policies that some have criticized because provisions call for suspension and expulsion in some cases. Up...
View ArticleSouth Portland school officials move forward with possible start-time changes
SOUTH PORTLAND — The School Board agreed Monday night to have a special committee recommend an implementation plan for possible changes in school start times in the 2017-18 school year. The board voted...
View ArticleAugusta school board approves drug and alcohol policy
AUGUSTA —The Board of Education approved a drug and alcohol policy that some have criticized because its provisions call for suspension and expulsion from school in some cases. Board members...
View ArticleBowdoin College shows up for food fight with best-selling author
Bowdoin College’s high-profile food fight with New Yorker commentator and best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell boiled over Friday when Bowdoin alum and Black Lives Matter leader DeRay McKesson blasted...
View ArticleUSM tuition would increase under UMaine System pricing plan
BANGOR — Students at the University of Southern Maine and three other campuses would pay a one-time tuition increase under a proposal to shift the entire University of Maine System to a new pricing...
View ArticlePortland councilors consider $70 million borrowing plan for school renovations
Portland councilors want to know how borrowing $70 million to rebuild four elementary schools will affect budgets. Portland City Councilors will be deliberate, thorough and well-prepared before they...
View ArticleParents push $70 million plan to upgrade 4 elementary schools in Portland
About a dozen parents said Monday that city and school officials should support a plan to borrow $70 million to upgrade four elementary schools in Portland. The proposal, if approved, would have to be...
View ArticleMaine universities get nearly $800,000 to help low-income students
ORONO — The federal Department of Education is giving nearly $800,000 to Maine public universities to provide help for low-income and first-generation students who want to go to college. The agency is...
View ArticleAnonymous donor gives $450,000 for arts program in Portland schools
An anonymous donor is giving $450,000 to provide three more years of arts funding to the Portland School District, bringing his total contributions to more than $1 million in seven years. The money...
View ArticleMost of EDMC’s recruited students dropped out
While the Education Management Corporation received more than $1 billion in taxpayer-funded student aid each year, many of the students its recruiters signed up dropped out, winding up with nothing but...
View ArticleCharity group funded school network led by former Gov. McKernan
A troubled for-profit college network that was led by former Maine Gov. John McKernan controlled a nonprofit foundation in Portland for years that critics say should not have had charitable tax status...
View ArticleSAD 6 board to decide on interim superintendent
The School Administrative District 6 school board of directors will vote Monday on whether to appoint Bonny Eagle High School Principal Paul Penna as interim superintendent. The vote comes about two...
View ArticlePortland officials touring 2 schools recommended for renovation
Portland school and city officials are touring two elementary schools tonight to get a firsthand look at conditions that led the school board to recommend a $70 million bond to renovate Presumpscot,...
View ArticleSchool funding commission sets meeting dates
AUGUSTA — A state commission tasked with reforming Maine’s complex school funding formula has set its first public meeting. Controversy ensued this spring when the commission’s first meeting was held...
View ArticleMuslim boy’s family sues over arrest for homemade clock
DALLAS — The family of a Muslim boy who was arrested after bringing a homemade clock to school filed a federal lawsuit Monday against Texas school officials and others, saying the incident violated the...
View ArticleSouth Portland to get state funds for new or renovated middle school
SOUTH PORTLAND — For the first time ever, the Maine State Board of Education has agreed to help pay for a school construction project in South Portland, school officials announced Wednesday. The state...
View ArticleUMaine System to pay $30,000 to settle lawsuit by fired UMA athletic director
The University of Maine System has agreed to pay $30,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by the former athletic director of its Augusta campus, who alleged that university officials failed to follow their...
View ArticleWestbrook assistant superintendent poised to take top job
Westbrook’s assistant school superintendent is poised to become the next head of the district. Peter Lancia, who has worked in Westbrook for 26 years as a teacher, elementary school principal and...
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