Maine Education Matters

Matt says goodbye and thank you to all who helped follow and support this podcast over the years.

It breaks my heart to have to stop this podcast, but the time it takes to pull together vs the time I have in my life that I need to focus on family or finances ... well... arent balanced. And as such, I need to step away from it.

Will it be back? I dunno. Maybe. But in the meantime, keep following what's happening as best as you can, and I hope that if nothing else this little experiment has helped improve the transparency and accessibility of information coming out of Augusta in terms of Education Policy and legislation.

With all of my love,

Matt

Matt previews public hearings for the week of March 10, 2025.

LD 369, SP0161

An Act to Grant or Extend Conditional Teaching Certificates Under Certain Circumstances - Sen. James Libby of Cumberland

LD 470, SP0209

An Act to Require School Administrative Units to Adopt Mentoring Programs for Teachers and to Improve Existing Programs - Sen. Joseph Rafferty of York

LD 696, SP0313

An Act to Bolster the Maine Teacher Residency Program - Sen. Teresa Pierce of Cumberland

LD 734, HP0476

An Act to Promote Voter Registration for Students in Maine's High Schools - Rep. Julie McCabe of Lewiston

LD 220, HP0143

An Act to Establish the Hope and Inclusion Scholarship Program in Order to Provide Funding for Students Attending Certain Private Schools and Students Receiving Home Instruction - Rep. Barbara Bagshaw of Windham

LD 282, HP0182

An Act to Raise the Limit on the Total Number of Public Charter Schools - Rep. Gary Drinkwater of Milford

LD 420, HP0274

An Act to Fund the Carleton Project to Provide Additional Access to a Nontraditional Secondary School - Rep. Gregg Swallow of Houlton

LD 482, HP0311

An Act to Expand Educational Opportunities and Broaden Educational Services for Students Enrolled in Equivalent Instruction Programs - Rep. Barbara Bagshaw of Windham

LD 512, SP0230

An Act to Provide Educational Opportunities for Students in Secondary Schools with 200 or Fewer Students - Sen. Stacey Guerin of Penobscot

LD 21, SP0034

An Act to Update the Provision of Law Concerning Student Codes of Conduct in Order to Reflect Best Practices Regarding Behavioral Threat Assessment and Response - Sen. Joseph Rafferty of York

LD 168, HP0101

An Act to Improve Safety in Public Schools by Requiring Silent Electronic Notification Systems in Classrooms - Rep. David Sinclair of Bath

LD 808, HP0515

An Act to Require School Boards and Governing Bodies of Approved Private Schools to Implement Wearable Panic Alert Systems - Rep. Anne-Marie Mastraccio of Sanford1:00 pm Public Hearing

LD 165, HP0098

An Act to Allow School Boards to Expel or Suspend Students Regardless of Grade Level - Rep. Will Tuell of East Machias

LD 513, SP0232

An Act to Allow the Spouse of a School Board Member to Serve as a Stipend Employee Within the School Board's Jurisdiction - Sen. Marianne Moore of Washington

LD 817, HP0524

An Act to Remove Restrictions That Prohibit School Administrative Units from Making Purchases Through Cooperatives - Rep. Christina Mitchell of Cumberland

Matt previews public hearings and work sessions for the week of March 3, 2025.

Public Hearings:

LD 46, HP0010An Act to Establish a Grant Program to Increase Postsecondary Educational Opportunities for Students with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities or Autism Spectrum Disorder - Rep. Kelly Murphy of Scarborough - Emergency

LD 198, SP0085An Act to Prohibit the University of Maine System Campus Police from Issuing a Citation or Summons Related to a Parking Violation to a Visitor of the University of Maine System - Sen. James Libby of Cumberland

LD 375, SP0170An Act to Require the University of Maine School of Law to Provide an Online Degree Program - Sen. Trey Stewart of Aroostook

LD 377, SP0133An Act to Establish a University of Maine Medical School and to Dedicate Funds from Raising the Cigarette Tax to the School - Sen. Joseph Baldacci of Penobscot

LD 457, SP0190An Act to Fund Climate Resiliency Projects Related to the Repair of Campus Infrastructure Used for Active Transportation and Outdoor Recreation - Sen. Anne Carney of Cumberland

LD 471, SP0210Resolve, to Establish a Pilot Program to Expand Intensive English Language Learner Programs - Sen. Joseph Rafferty of York

Work Sessions for March 5, 2025

LD 34, SP0053An Act to Increase the Minimum Salary for Teachers - Sen. Teresa Pierce of Cumberland

LD 71, HP0035An Act Regarding Special Education Funding - Rep. Kristi Mathieson of Kittery

LD 98, HP0063An Act to Include School Counselors in the Educators for Maine Program - Rep. Michael Brennan of Portland

LD 181, HP0114An Act to Modify the Calculation of Pupil Counts Used for Determination of School Administrative Unit Operating Costs - Rep. Will Tuell of East Machias

LD 193, HP0126An Act to Fund Students in Maine Schools Who Are Experiencing Homelessness - Rep. Marshall Archer of Saco

LD 501, HP0330An Act to Fairly Fund School Administrative Units for Economically Disadvantaged Students - Rep. Kristen Cloutier of Lewiston

Work Sessions for March 6, 2025

LD 74, HP0038An Act to Update the System of Learning Results Review Timeline - Rep. Michael Brennan of Portland

LD 78, HP0042An Act to Require Elementary School Students to Learn Cursive Writing - Rep. Joseph Underwood of Presque Isle

LD 360, SP0151An Act Supporting the Dirigo Reads Literacy Program - Sen. Joseph Baldacci of Penobscot

LD 370, SP0162An Act to Raise the Minimum State Standard for Mathematics Education for a High School Diploma - Sen. James Libby of Cumberland

LD 396, SP0182An Act to Provide for a Later Starting Time for High Schools - President. Matthea Daughtry of Cumberland

LD 543, HP0362An Act to Enhance Maine's Wildlife Conservation Efforts and Preserve Maine's Sporting Heritage by Requiring Hunter Safety Education in Schools - Rep. Donald Ardell of Monticello

Matt previews public hearings for:

Judiciary Committee:

LD 537 An Act to Prohibit the Doxing of a Minor and to Authorize a Related Civil Action - Rep. Melanie Sachs of Freeport

Education and Cultural Affairs Committee:
LD 34 An Act to Increase the Minimum Salary for Teachers - Sen. Teresa Pierce of Cumberland

LD 71  An Act Regarding Special Education Funding - Rep. Kristi Mathieson of Kittery

LD 98 An Act to Include School Counselors in the Educators for Maine Program - Rep. Michael Brennan of Portland

LD 181 An Act to Modify the Calculation of Pupil Counts Used for Determination of School Administrative Unit Operating Costs - Rep. Will Tuell of East Machias

LD 193 An Act to Fund Students in Maine Schools Who Are Experiencing Homelessness - Rep. Marshall Archer of Saco

LD 501 An Act to Fairly Fund School Administrative Units for Economically Disadvantaged Students - Rep. Kristen Cloutier of Lewiston

LD 74 An Act to Update the System of Learning Results Review Timeline - Rep. Michael Brennan of Portland

LD 78 An Act to Require Elementary School Students to Learn Cursive Writing - Rep. Joseph Underwood of Presque Isle

LD 315 An Act to Add a Personal Finance Course to the State Graduation Requirements in High Schools - Rep. Ed Crockett of Portland

LD 360 An Act Supporting the Dirigo Reads Literacy Program - Sen. Joseph Baldacci of Penobscot

LD 370 An Act to Raise the Minimum State Standard for Mathematics Education for a High School Diploma - Sen. James Libby of Cumberland

LD 396 An Act to Provide for a Later Starting Time for High Schools - President. Matthea Daughtry of Cumberland

LD 543An Act to Enhance Maine's Wildlife Conservation Efforts and Preserve Maine's Sporting Heritage by Requiring Hunter Safety Education in Schools - Rep. Donald Ardell of Monticello

Matt begins the 132nd Legislative Session review with an announcement that the podcast is changing! How will it change? Glad you asked.

The world has changed, in many profound personal ways, and Matt is struggling to find the time to make this podcast what it should be, and what he wants it to be. He wants to keep doing it, but time is valuable and he needs to spend his time wisely and make sure he can mitigate the rising costs of living.

So here's what we're going to do: we're stating aMaine Education Matters Patreon to offer tiered subscriptions for more info on the work that we do for this podcast.

For Free:

A briefer, more bullet-point version of the podcast will remain free on the main feeds, like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc. This briefer version will be mostly informative about upcoming public hearings and work sessions, to keep you informed of whats coming next.

Tier 1: #Faithful17($5/month)

Gain access to a podcast with more in-depth look at upcoming legislation, testimony, and policy. Plus, whatever nonsense Matt decides to throw in on that day.

Gain access to the Maine Education Matters Legislation Tracker.

Tier 2: Happy-ish Hour!

Join Matt for a free-flowing conversation about education policy, legislation, leadership, innovation, and anything else that's on your mind!

Every week, Matt will send out a link to a meeting room so members can connect and discuss the goings on in Ed policy, innovation, legislation, and more.

Plus: all the benefits of the #Faithful17 Tier!

Oh, also in this episode...Matt reviews the first Public Hearing for a bill on Military-Connected Students and Students in Unorganized Territories.

Thank you for your support!

Matt reviews some of the names, and names only, of upcoming bills for the 132nd Legislative Session.

Audio updated (1/4/2025)

Matt talks about cell phone bans, AI, and Edutopia's 10 Most Significant Education Studies from 2024.

Hey there, faithful seventeen listeners!

Yes! We're coming back for the 132nd First session starting in January. Matt talks about a few upcoming episodes and what to expect-ish for this next session.

This episode was produced and edited by Matt Drewette-Card

Matt & Matt discuss the goings on at the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee from Feb 13, 2024 - Feb 26, 2024. Plus: Matt drinks more Moxie, and Matt drops a tease for our next episode.

Hosted by Matt Drewette-Card and Matthew Shea

This episode was produced and edited by Matt Drewette-Card.

Matt and Matt celebrate the 200th episode of Maine Education Matters and are joined by former co-hosts Courtney Belolan and Lady Julie Smyth. Plus: Matt holds up a promise.