Senate President Alfond on Bill Green’s Maine
Senate President Justin Alfond talks with Bill Green about his life and his plans for the 126th Maine Senate.
Committee approves system for evaluating Maine’s teachers
… Sen. Justin Alfond, D-Portland, said the amendments to the bill made it much more palatable, particularly language that allows due process in the event a teacher is given poor reviews and terminated. “Of course, we’d like more time to look into this, but they are on a time schedule that is different from ours,â€...
Maine Bill to Establish Teacher Evaluation Systems Advances
… In an effort to mollify these concerns, the Department of Education added language that says educators can’t be removed if questions of bad faith taint the ratings they receive. As the committee prepared for a final vote, the other big outstanding question concerned money. How, in a time of tight finances, are local districts...
Education panel amends bill requiring schools to sync calendars
… Sen. Justin Alfond, D-Portland, said he feared that it could be difficult to follow the law. “Are we making sure this fits all of our CTECs?†he asked, pointing out that Portland Arts and Technology High School has 22 sending schools. “What if they can’t get their calendars to a point where they have...
LePage’s teacher evaluation bill hits Legislature to mixed reviews
… The Legislature’s Education and Cultural Affairs Committee spent more than four hours Wednesday afternoon hearing from dozens of stakeholders on both sides of the issue. At one point, Sen. Justin Alfond, D-Portland, called the measure “the ultimate penalty for teachers,†while Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen told the committee that “no other bill you’ve heard...
DHHS Budget
Due to the DHHS turmoil, the Appropriations Committee has parked the 2013 DHHS budget. Commissioner Millet, the governor’s top financial head, told the Appropriations Committee that he needs 4-6 weeks to audit the DHHS departments. Yesterday, Commissioner Millet introduced supplemental budget #2. This supplement budget will close any and all shortfalls in the rest of...
Education committee to hold public hearings on LePage’s controversial reform bills
… The first bill removes one sentence from state law that says public dollars cannot be used to fund private, religious schools. Bowen and LePage said removing that sentence simply provides another opportunity for students who want a certain type of education. Any students can go to a religious school currently but they must pay...
