Alfond baby Casting Call season is here and we hope this year to help as many families as possible at these events to sign up for their NextGen account and receive the $500 Alfond Grant. The Spring schedule includes Casting Calls from 10am - 2pm on Saturdays, March 31 at Eastern Maine Community College, April 7 at the University of Southern Maine, April 28 at the Auburn Mall and May 5 at the University of Maine Augusta.

We invite you to attend any of these Casting Calls and see the spectacle of over 100 smiling and well behaved babies in one spot being helped by FAME staff and volunteers. For more information, www.500ForBaby.org.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Augusta Civic Center

Register today for this resource-rich event, featuring FREE financial education resources for K-12 and college-age students.  Developed for educators, administrators and counselors who are dedicated to improving the financial capability of Maine students.

This year's Conference will also include an intensive personal financial education "boot camp" designed to improve teacher capacity to include personal finance instruction in the classroom.  

Registration Fee - $25*

 TENTATIVE AGENDA 

The educators "boot camp" was created by the New Jersey Coalition for Financial Education and will be presented by Dr. Barbara O'Neill and Carole Glade, leading experts on financial education and training.  Dr. O'Neill serves as Professor II in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, and is Rutgers Cooperative Extension's Extension Specialist in Financial Resource Management. Learn more... 

 Register Now 

*The Maine Jump$tart Coalition is committed to ensuring that all Maine teachers are able to attend this important event, regardless of potential budget constraints.  Fee waivers and financial support for substitute teacher expenses are available and will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

To receive Conference updates, send an email to: info@mejumpstart.org

With approximately two weeks left in the session, the Legislature is busy with budget and bill considerations.  Committees are wrapping up their work and the bulk of activity has now moved to the floors of the House and Senate.  The Legislature is now meeting five days per week with morning, afternoon, and some evening sessions.  The statutory adjournment date is April 18, but presiding officers have expressed their intention to adjourn sooner than that.  There is speculation that, with DHHS budget figures now in doubt, the Legislature may return in May to finalize the budget.

New Education Legislation

Gov. LePage and Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen recently unveiled several pieces of education legislation.  The Education Committee recently conducted public hearings and work sessions on the bills, some of which were rejected.  The bills are:

• LD 1854, An Act to Expand Educational Opportunities for Maine Students:  would allow schools to choose to become open enrollment institutions, but would not then allow schools to select which students to enroll.  Status:  Education Committee voted "Ought to Pass as Amended."  Amendment not yet reported out of committee.
• LD 1858, An Act to Ensure Effective Teaching and School Leadership:  would require school units to develop a comprehensive performance evaluation system for teachers and principals.  Also would further require multiple measures be used in evaluating teachers.  Evaluators must be properly trained, and the information collected in that process must be used to inform professional development.  Status:  Education Committee voted "Ought to Pass as Amended."  Amendment not yet reported out of committee.
• LD 1865, An Act to Enhance Career and Technical Education:  would require career and technical schools to coordinate their calendars to have no more than five "dissimilar days," meaning all school units or districts that send students to a vocational program must have similar calendars.  The measure would also allowed students to earn credits for taking classes that meet national or state certification standards and directs the Community College System to engage in discussions for awarding college credit for some course work.  Status:  Divided committee report anticipated. Not yet reported out of committee.
• LD 1866, An Act to Remove Inequity in Student Access to Certain Schools:  would repeal statutory language stating that only nonsectarian private schools may be approved for the receipt of public funds for tuition purposes.  Status:  Majority of Education Committee voted "Ought Not to Pass."  Bill not yet reported out of committee.

Bonds

Lawmakers recently began considering more than two dozen bond proposals totaling nearly $600 million.  The Appropriations Committee held public hearings on various borrowing proposals, which include projects for highway and rail line improvements to global seafood marketing.  Last year, the Legislature decided not to ask voters to approve any borrowing.  A $100 million proposal would provide funding for transportation and land protection, and for the University of Maine System and the Maine Community College System to train people who want careers in the tourism industry.

Bills of interest:

• LD 1662 (sponsored by Sen. Raye), An Act to Provide for an Advisory Referendum on the Approval of Tax-Exempt Student Loan Revenue Bonds:  The Maine Educational Loan Authority (MELA) issues private activity bonds to fund supplemental student loans for Maine students and families and services its debts with the revenue streams associated with student loan repayment. The bill directs the Secretary of State to hold an advisory referendum at a statewide election to determine whether the voters of the state favor the Governor's approval of MELA's issuance of no more than $50 million of tax-exempt student loan revenue bonds over the next 3 years, to be repaid by the loan recipients.  Status:  Public hearing held Wed., Feb. 22 at 1 p.m. in Appropriations Committee. No work session scheduled yet.
• LD 1733 (sponsored by Sen. Rector), An Act to Provide for the 2012 and 2013 Allocations of the State Ceiling on Private Activity Bonds:  Establishes the allocations of the state ceiling on issuance of tax-exempt private activity bonds for calendar years 2012 and 2013.  Status:  Enacted by House and Senate.  Signed into law by Governor.
• LD 1422 (sponsored by Sen. Langley), An Act to Prepare Maine People for the Future Economy:  The bill as amended proposes to overhaul Maine's high school graduation requirements. The bill would first affect students graduating from high school in 2017 and would no longer allow students to earn credits merely for time spent in school. Instead, they would have to demonstrate proficiency in every skill and topic in the eight content areas and five guiding principles of the Maine Learning Results.  Adopting the new approach -- usually called proficiency-based or standards-based education -- could allow schools to eliminate age-based grade levels and promote students based entirely on their mastery of the standards.  The deadline of 2017 proposed would affect this year's seventh-graders, and high schools would need to have curriculum, new transcripts, technology and staff training in place by the time those students enter high school in 2013.  To accommodate schools that can't meet the deadline, the Education Committee adopted a waiver provision.  Districts could obtain waivers only until 2020.  Education Commissioner Bowen said he will ask the Legislature to supply money for a state fund that assists regional professional development centers.  The Department also is preparing a website for educators to share resources such as curriculum standards and syllabuses.  Status:  The Education and Cultural Affairs Committee unanimously voted that the bill "ought to pass as amended."  Bill pending final enactment in House and Senate.
• LD 835 (sponsored by Rep. Knight), An Act to Strengthen Maine's Economy Through Improvements to the Educational Opportunity Tax Credit (Opportunity Maine):  This Opportunity Maine bill was carried over from last session.  It was amended by and reported out of the Taxation Committee.  The amended majority report replaces the bill and provides that the tax credit applies to qualifying educational opportunity loans entered into before July 1, 2022.  The intent of this limitation is to require reconsideration of the program to determine whether it should be continued.  Status:  Divided report out of Taxation Committee.  Bill pending final enactment in House and Senate.

The Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs and various policy committees held public hearings on the Governor's supplemental budget bill for the 2012-2013 biennium, L.D. 1903, An Act To Make Additional Supplemental Appropriations and Allocations for the Expenditures of State Government and To Change Certain Provisions of the Law Necessary to the Proper Operations of State Government for the Fiscal Years Ending June 30, 2012 and June 30, 2013. 

The proposed budget initiatives may be viewed at:

http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/bills_125th/billtexts/HP140501.asp

The Governor's plan includes nearly $38 million in new spending and tax cuts.  It calls for spending more money in some areas, such as security at county courthouses and efforts to solve computer crimes. It also would cut money from higher education and other areas.  It also includes several proposed tax cuts to benefit retirees and businesses. 

This is one of two budget proposals to be debated in the remaining weeks of the legislative session.  Lawmakers also must address a $100 million budget shortfall in the Department of Health and Human Services for the fiscal year that starts July 1.  DHHS Commissioner Mary Mayhew recently briefed lawmakers on the Appropriations and Health and Human Services committees about computer problems in the Department and about a new interpretation of a federal rule that will leave a $10.5 million shortfall in the state budget for 2012-2013.