Maine Education System: A Comprehensive Overview
Maine boasts a strong public education system, committed to providing a well-rounded learning experience for all students. Choosing a place to live is a big decision, especially for families, and educational opportunities are often a top priority. Maine Real Estate Agency understands the importance of finding a community with a strong school system for your children and is dedicated to helping families find their perfect home in Maine. This article provides an accurate, up-to-date, and well-rounded snapshot of Maine’s education system.
Structure and Governance
The Maine public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. The Maine Department of Education (DOE) administers public education in the state. It is run by a commissioner appointed by the governor. Local municipalities and their respective school districts operate individual public elementary and secondary schools, but the DOE audits performance of these schools. The Commissioner of Education is the chief official of the Department of Education and is nominated by the Governor and confirmed by the state legislature. Debra Plowman was appointed as acting commissioner in 2016. However, the actual power of the commissioner is vested in the office of the acting deputy commissioner, held by Bill Beardsley. Beardsley was initially appointed acting commissioner on October 16, 2015, by Gov. Paul LePage (R). Maine has four types of school departments: the first is a local school, one which serves only one municipality, and is headed by a superintendent. Usually, it serves kindergarten through grade 12, although some only go to grade 8. A school union is two or more school departments that share a superintendent but nothing else; each town has an independent school board. Usually, only one of the schools in the school union has a high school, but unlike MSADs (discussed below), students in the whole school union are not compelled to attend that school. The third type is a MSAD (Maine School Administrative District). This is a regional school district that incorporates two or more towns into one school department with one high school and middle school. These towns do not have independent school boards, but instead have one central board governing the entire district. Students are obligated to attend the central high school. Usually, a MSAD comprises one larger town and one or more smaller towns. The larger town is equipped with a high school and middle school, while the surrounding towns have elementary schools as well, but no secondary schools. The elementary schools usually cut off after grade 5 or grade 6. The last type of school district is a CSD (Community School District, sometimes called a Consolidated School District). This usually (but not always) exists in school districts with such a small student population between several towns that the school district cannot justify an elementary school outside the largest town in the district. In rare cases a CSD refers to only a high school of a school union.
School Boards
School board members are elected by residents of the school district. School boards are composed of at least one member from each municipality or sub-district otherwise stated. In municipalities with annual elections, directors serve three-year terms. In municipalities with biennial elections, directors serve four-year terms. Collect a minimum of 300 signatures from registered Maine voters.
School Choice and Options
Maine allows some flexibility in school choice through open enrollment. This program allows students to attend a public school outside their assigned district (subject to space availability and district policies). Students can choose to attend a school in another district if the parents agree to pay the school tuition. School choice options in Maine included charter schools, a limited voucher program, an inter-district enrollment policy and some online learning programs. Private schools are less common than public schools. A large number of private elementary schools with under 20 students exist, but most private high schools in Maine can be perceived as "semi-private." This means that while it costs money to send children there, towns will make a contract with a school to take children from a town or MSAD at a slightly reduced rate. Maine has one major magnet school: The Maine School of Science and Mathematics in Limestone.
Key Statistics and Data
In 2022, Maine had 176,463 students enrolled in a total of 569 schools in 192 school districts. There were 14,451 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 12 students, compared to the national average of 1:16.
Read also: Lifelong Learning in Maine
Academic Performance
The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The table below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013.
The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Maine and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT.
The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010-2011 and school year 2011-2012. The event dropout rate for Maine was higher than the national average at 3.5 percent in the 2010-2011 school year.
Funding and Expenditure
According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the United States Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the country's school system revenue came from state sources, while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. Maine spent approximately 16.9 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. The state school systems' revenue came primarily from local funds. In Maine, the primary source of school system revenue was local funding, at $1.4 billion. Maine's total revenue, when compared to its neighboring states, was the second lowest during fiscal year 2013. Public education expenditures in Maine totaled approximately $2.5 billion in fiscal year 2012.
Teacher Salaries
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. Salaries given are averages for the state. Salaries may vary between a state's urban, suburban, and rural districts and should be adjusted for cost of living.
Read also: Job Opportunities at UMS
Teacher Unions
In 2012 the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. The main union related to the Maine school system is the Maine Education Association (MEA), an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA).
Education Week's Quality Counts
Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. Maine received a score of 78.8, or a C+ average in the "chance for success" category. This was above the national average. The state's highest score was in "school finance" at 83.9, or a B average. The lowest score was in "the teaching profession" at 67.8, or a D+ average. Maine had the second lowest score for "standards, assessments and accountability" in the country at 69.6.
Higher Education
The University of Maine System is the largest educational enterprise in the state, comprising seven universities across various campuses. It has an annual enrollment of nearly 30,000 students and significantly impacts the state's economy. The Maine Community College System includes seven colleges with a total enrollment of approximately 17,500 students.
Strategic Plans and Initiatives
"Education Evolving: Maine's Plan for Putting Learners First" is the strategic plan that sets out objectives and action steps for building an education system in Maine that meets the needs of all learners, from early childhood into adulthood, and prepares them for college, careers, and civic life. Maine is participating in a 30-state Common Core State Standards Initiative and assessment of students to replace the New England NECAP test. The state intends to use the new standards by 2015.
Recent Education Bills
The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Maine state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic.
Read also: UMaine Student Portal Help
Maine School Building Authority and Municipal Debt Limits, Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. Maine University Housing, Referendum Question No. Maine State Teachers College Student Housing, Referendum Question No. Maine Maritime Academy Dining Facility, Referendum Question No. Maine State Teachers Colleges Student Housing, Referendum Question No. Maine Teachers Colleges and Vocational-Technical Schools Student Housing and Dining, Referendum Question No. Maine University Housing, Referendum Question No. Maine University Capital Improvements, Referendum Question No. Maine Boys' Training Center, State Prison and Stevens School, Referendum Question No. Maine York County Regional Vocational Education Center, Referendum Question No.
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