LEWISTON — The School Committee unanimously approved an $82.9 million budget for 2018-19 Monday night. The overall spending plan is up 11.7 percent from this fiscal year, in part because of Connors Elementary School, which is under construction. The state is paying for the school, but that payment adds to the overall budget. Without the […]
schools
Posted inFranklin
RSU 73 voters send $18.8 million budget to referendum
JAY — Nearly 40 residents of Regional School Unit 73 approved warrant articles for the 2018-19 budget Thursday night. The $18.8 million spending plan will be finalized in a validation referendum April 24 at polling stations in Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls. Superintendent Kenneth Healey said the budget is $749,907 more than this fiscal year, […]
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Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Lisbon schools' principals discuss differing intervention responses
LISBON — School principals presented information to the School Committee on Monday evening about programs that provide extra help to students. At Lisbon Community School, students have 30 minutes each day for additional support on specific topics. “The response to intervention rounds are up to seven weeks long,” Principal Robert Kahler said. “And the teachers keep […]
Posted inOxford Hills, sj-web
Celeste quits SAD 17 school panel after he’s accused of racism
Under fire for alleged racism, the final straw for Robert Celeste came late last week when a van from a television station blocked his driveway in Harrison just as Celeste and his ailing wife were about to head out for a drive. As Celeste spoke with a reporter, his wife, Cecily, who is beginning to […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Are school threats the new normal in Maine?
It was fewer than 48 hours after the mass shooting at a Florida high school when officials in Topsham received word of a threat of gun violence against the high school there. No sooner had they cleared Mt. Ararat High when another threat was received against a nearby elementary school. Under normal circumstances, a single […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, sj-web
Smartphones and kids … a good mix?
With more teens feeling hopeless and suicidal, Maine schools, kids and parents struggle to deal with a technology that’s changed a generation. As principal of Oxford Elementary School, Tiffany Karnes has seen smartphone users start young. Like 7 years old young. “It would not be unusual to see a first- or second-grader who has a […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Lots of talk, little action in Congress after shootings
WASHINGTON (AP) — For a brief moment after the Las Vegas massacre last fall, Republicans and Democrats in Congress talked about taking a rare step to tighten the nation’s gun laws. Four months later, the only gun legislation that has moved in the House or Senate instead eases restrictions for gun owners. The October deaths […]
Posted inPerspective, sj-web
DC graduation scandal shows how chronic absenteeism threatens America's schools
Each year in the United States, approximately 5 to 7.5 million students in the nation’s K-12 schools miss a month or more of school. That means 150 to 225 million instructional days are lost every school year. The problem is more pronounced in low-income urban communities throughout the country. In elementary school, for example, students […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Wednesday storm could delay last day of school
For now, the last scheduled day of school in Lewiston and Auburn is Friday, June 15. A snowstorm expected Wednesday could change that. “Wednesday isn’t looking good,” Lewiston Superintendent Bill Webster said. A winter storm watch is in effect for most of Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters said they expect significant snowfall […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Bill would restore money slashed from Maine school-based health clinics
School-based health clinics that were forced to slash programs after having their funding unexpectedly cut in last year’s budget deal may get a one-time infusion of unspent state funds to restore services that are often a critical source of health care for some of the state’s lower-income students and families. The Legislature’s Health and Human […]