Busy Week for Bills – District 8 Legislative Update

Last Friday, I visited the Homeless Health Clinic, housed at the Preble Street Resource Center. I met with volunteers and clients to see the work they do, and discuss the impact of its potential closure on June 15th. Under the Governor’s proposed budget, funding to support the dental clinic would be eliminated, leaving over 3,000 clients in and around Portland with no access to the care they need. I testified in support of restoring funding, and will continue to fight for it in the Senate.

Children’s Growth Council

On Tuesday, the Health and Human Services Committee heard LD 1449, “An Act To Amend the Composition and Duties of the Maine Children’s Growth Council”

The Maine Children’s Growth Council (CGC) was established in 2007 to develop, maintain and evaluate a plan for sustainable social and financial investment in healthy development of Maine’s young children and their families. For the past four years, I have served on the CGC, and the Council has worked hard to advocate for investment in our children and early childhood education. My bill focuses on one missing part – the strategic plan.

First, the bill continues the important work that CGC does by changing many appointees and suggesting new responsibilities. The goal here is to make sure that state agencies are present and collaborating on early childhood issues. Each of these agencies has a “stake” in what the early childhood group does. They need to be at this table.

Next, the bill gives the CGC the directive and requirement to develop a long-term plan for an early childhood system in Maine. If we are going to achieve great results statewide for all children and families then we must develop a plan that encourages collaboration in our early childhood system.

Innovation in Schools

On Wednesday, the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee heard LD 1129, “An Act To Promote Innovation in Public Schools.”

Over the last four years, Democrats and Republicans have worked together to change how students approach their education. Our signature initiative is the standards-based-learning law that makes students responsible for their learning. Maine’s education system is on an incredible five-year plan that ensures that graduates in 2018 can demonstrate they’ve learned the skills and gained the knowledge they need to succeed. To put it another way, in 2018, Maine’s high school diplomas will mean even more.

How we help schools transition over the next five years will be critical to this law’s success. To help schools in this process, my bill would require Maine’s Education Department to highlight approved deeper-learning models on a website by August 1, 2013. The Maine DOE website would highlight Maine schools already implementing standards-based learning and best practices. It would also lead a statewide conference in the fall of 2013 where deeper learning organizations can showcase their learning models. Finally, the DOE would be required to create a series of teleconferences in the spring of 2014 to support standards-based learning strategies, implementation and resources to public schools across the state.

School Construction

Also on Wednesday, the Education & Cultural Affairs Committee heard LD 1235, “An Act Regarding School Construction.” I introduced this bill after working with Mayor Michael Brennan in an effort to incentivize local communities to start their process of building healthy and safe schools.

The Maine Department of Education puts out a request for proposal for new school construction every five to seven years. Every school can apply and eachdistrict is scored on a point system. This list, called the, “school construction priority list,” is then released with several schools being chosen as schools that will be funded by the state. After a school district is identified, they then work with the state to plan for several years before the new construction begins.

Under current law, however, if a school district not identified by the state for school funding moves forward with planning for new construction, they become ineligible for state funding and are removed from the priority list.

There are currently 71 schools on the construction priority list, and only the first six have been selected by the Department of Education for construction funds. The Hall Elementary School in Portland is currently 12th on the list for state support.

My bill would allow schools to begin planning and hiring professionals, to a certain point, without losing their place on the list. If, during this time, the school becomes eligible for state funding, then they would be able to take out a longer bond and only pay interest for the funds spent. And of course, if a school districtis not awarded state funding, then all the costs would remain the responsibility of the towns. The bill will have its work session in the coming days.