Matt and Matt review the testimony at the public hearings on February 4. We talk about the following bills: LD150, An Act to Improve Attendance at Public Elementary Schools; LD151, An Act to Align State Law with Current Practice Regarding Required School Attendance; LD63, An Act to Improve Responsiveness of Elected School Boards to the Public; LD137, An Act to Make the Maine Technology Learning Initiative More Cost-Effective; LD176, An Act to Enhance Participation on the State Board of Education; and LD178, An Act to Increase the State Share of the Cost of Health Insurance for Retired Teachers. Also, Matt says "fascinating" about 3 billion times this episode. It's a tic, apparently....

Matt and Matt talk about the testimony in the public hearings that occurred on January 30, 2019. Follow us at @MaineEdMatters on Twitter and Facebook!

0:00 -  1:20  Intro

1:20 - 17:10  LD 14, An Act to Improve Science and Engineering Education for Maine's Students

17:10 - 19:00  LD 55, Act to Return the Normal Cost of Teacher Retirement to the State

19:00 - 23:20 LD 92, An Act to Amend Teacher Evaluation Requirements

23:20 - end LD 103, An Act to Ensure the Integrity of For-Profit Colleges

Matt and Matt preview the bills up for public hearing on Feb 4. LD 150: An Act to Improve Attendance at Public Elementary Schools. LD 151: An Act to Align State Law with Current Practice Regarding Required School Attendance. LD 63: An Act to Improve Responsiveness of Elected School Boards to the Public. LD 137: An Act to Make the Maine Learning Technology Initiative More Cost-Effective. LD 176: An Act to Enhance Participation on the State Board of Education. LD 178: An Act to Increase the State Share of the Cost of Health Insurance for Retired Teachers.

This episode, Matt and Matt get into the language of each of the first seven bills coming across the Education Committee. We talk about our initial thoughts of each one of these, whether we think they are good ideas, some worries and concerns about them (if we have them), and the general timeline of what happens next. Let us know what you think! Follow us on Twitter at @MaineEdMatters and on Facebook at Maine Education Matters with Matt and Matt. Rate and review us, and definitely subscribe!

On January 30 at 9am, the following bills are scheduled for public hearings. LD 14: An Act To Improve Science and Engineering Education for Maine's Students; LD 97: Resolve, Regarding Legislative Review of Portions of Chapter 38: Suicide Awareness and Prevention in Maine Public Schools, a Major Substantive Rule fo the Department of Education; LD 98: Resolve, Regarding Legislative Review of Portions of Chapter 122: Grant Application and Award Procedure: Fund for the Efficient Delivery of Educational Services, a Major, Substantive Rule of the Department of Education; LD 103: An Act to Ensure the Integrity of For-profit colleges.

On January 30 at 1pm, the following bills are scheduled for public hearings. LD 29: Resolve, To Implement the Recommendations of the Task Force to Address the Opioid Crisis in the State by Establishing a Work Group To Develop Educational Programming for Prevention of Substance Use and Substance Use Disorders among Youth and Adolescents; LD 55: An Act To Return the Normal Cost of Teacher Retirement to the State; LD 92: An Act To Amend Teacher Evaluation Requirements.

Matt and Matt go through

This week, Matt and Matt break down the titles of the education bills for the 129th Legislature - not the language, mind you. Just the titles. This one gets very silly, as we are only talking about the titles - we have no other information.

Fortunately, language will be coming out as the bills start to get public hearings. We'll talk about them when it happens!

Follow us on Twitter @MaineEdMatters, and on Facebook for more info!

Matt and Matt talk about the new Commissioner of Education, and the newly announced Education Committee. Who are they, and what are their backgrounds?

Matt and Matt wrap up 2018 (kind of) with some prognostications and talk about some things late in the year we may have missed. Mainly some rule changes, and it's super exciting. For reals. Follow us on Twitter at @MaineEdMatters and on Facebook for more! If you listen all the way to the end, you'll get lots of nonsense. As usual.

"Laws are tough." - MDC

Matt and Matt finish their talk about LD1666. DEEP dives into proficiency and the language of the bills. We get pretty specific about things, and it's a long one. Enjoy! Follow us on Twitter @MaineEdMatters and give us feedback! Facebook too!

Matt and Matt finish up their discussion of ESSA in Maine with an extended talk about what chronic absenteeism is and how it affects schools, and a dive into the tiers of support, and some confusion around what they are. Follow us on Twitter at @MaineEdMatters and let us know what you'd like us to discuss!

Matt and Matt interrupt their series on all things Maine Education related to give you a heads up on standards review, and specifically, the science and social studies review out for public comment right now. Follow us on Twitter at @MaineEdMatters.