Maine
U.S.
Rank
Score:
62%
Grade:
D
Rank:
#37
The beauty of Maine notwithstanding, the environment for charters here is hardly green.
Law passed: 2011
Most recently amended: 2019
Number of charter schools: 10
Number of charter students: 2,497
Cap on the number of schools allowed:? Yes, 10 maximum schools
Virtual charters allowed? Yes
AUTHORIZERS: Local districts and the Maine Charter School Commission, but local districts have not been active authorizers. Any applicant can submit an application directly to the Commission. Only the Commission can authorize virtual charters.
The state board of education heavily regulates the Maine Charter School Commission, effectively making it a weak authorizer that passes unnecessary regulations on to the schools it oversees. There is no appeals process for decisions made by either type of authorizer, which removes the ability for charter applicants to fight back against arbitrary or capricious application decisions.
GROWTH: Potential growth of charter schools was significantly damaged with legislation in 2019. It made the cap of 10 charter schools permanent and included district-authorized charter schools within the cap. The cap was previously set to expire in 2022 and had only included state-authorized charter schools.
OPERATIONS: Maine law exempts charter schools from most regulations that apply to districts. However, the state heavily regulates charter applicants, which adversely affects the ability of successful charter schools to expand.
EQUITY: A 2007 Maryland Court of Appeals ruling reaffirmed the State Board of Education’s decision that the law requires charter students be funded in a “commensurate” manner and at the same level as traditional public schools. However, school districts set charter school funding first, and appealing inequities in funding to the Board can be an onerous process. Funding inequities persist. In reality, they receive, on average, only two-thirds of the total funding the traditional district schools receive.
Score:
Grade:
D
Rank:
#32
The second oldest program in the country, dating back to 1873, allows students who do not have public schools in their towns to take their money to the school of choice.
Law enacted: 1873
Number of programs: 1
Statewide Participation: 5,374
Types of programs: Voucher
Voucher
Town Tuitioning Program
Through Maine’s voucher program, students that live in small towns without public elementary or high schools can use vouchers to attend public schools in different towns, or non-religious private schools. It currently serves 5,400 students and the voucher limit is $9,272 for K-8 and $11,093 for high school. This program does not have income limitations or enrollment caps.
Score:
Grade:
D
Rank:
#37
Does not support performance pay statewide; needs to improve its data collection of teacher prep programs.
TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 71%
General Teacher Preparation 62%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 75%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 78%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 72%
Alternate Routes 70%
STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 71%
Hiring 75%
Retaining Effective Teachers 67%
TEACHER EVALUATION: 68%
TEACHER COMPENSATION: 62%
Score:
62%
Grade:
D
Rank:
#37
The beauty of Maine notwithstanding, the environment for charters here is hardly green.
Law passed: 2011
Most recently amended: 2019
Number of charter schools: 10
Number of charter students: 2,497
Cap on the number of schools allowed:? Yes, 10 maximum schools
Virtual charters allowed? Yes
AUTHORIZERS: Local districts and the Maine Charter School Commission, but local districts have not been active authorizers. Any applicant can submit an application directly to the Commission. Only the Commission can authorize virtual charters.
The state board of education heavily regulates the Maine Charter School Commission, effectively making it a weak authorizer that passes unnecessary regulations on to the schools it oversees. There is no appeals process for decisions made by either type of authorizer, which removes the ability for charter applicants to fight back against arbitrary or capricious application decisions.
GROWTH: Potential growth of charter schools was significantly damaged with legislation in 2019. It made the cap of 10 charter schools permanent and included district-authorized charter schools within the cap. The cap was previously set to expire in 2022 and had only included state-authorized charter schools.
OPERATIONS: Maine law exempts charter schools from most regulations that apply to districts. However, the state heavily regulates charter applicants, which adversely affects the ability of successful charter schools to expand.
EQUITY: A 2007 Maryland Court of Appeals ruling reaffirmed the State Board of Education’s decision that the law requires charter students be funded in a “commensurate” manner and at the same level as traditional public schools. However, school districts set charter school funding first, and appealing inequities in funding to the Board can be an onerous process. Funding inequities persist. In reality, they receive, on average, only two-thirds of the total funding the traditional district schools receive.
Score:
Grade:
D
Rank:
#32
The second oldest program in the country, dating back to 1873, allows students who do not have public schools in their towns to take their money to the school of choice.
Law enacted: 1873
Number of programs: 1
Statewide Participation: 5,374
Types of programs: Voucher
Voucher
Town Tuitioning Program
Through Maine’s voucher program, students that live in small towns without public elementary or high schools can use vouchers to attend public schools in different towns, or non-religious private schools. It currently serves 5,400 students and the voucher limit is $9,272 for K-8 and $11,093 for high school. This program does not have income limitations or enrollment caps.
Score:
Grade:
D
Rank:
#37
Does not support performance pay statewide; needs to improve its data collection of teacher prep programs.
TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 71%
General Teacher Preparation 62%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 75%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 78%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 72%
Alternate Routes 70%
STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 71%
Hiring 75%
Retaining Effective Teachers 67%
TEACHER EVALUATION: 68%
TEACHER COMPENSATION: 62%
Score:
Grade:
C
Rank:
#36
The Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) was the first 1:1 student-to-device initiative in the nation. In 2002, Maine provided every 7th and 8th grade student and teacher in the state a portal device, along with support that was needed to effectively use them. The MLTI provides participating schools with educational technology packages with either HP or Apple, and also awards grants for schools to purchase their own. MLTI provides professional development training so teachers can use the technology in an effective and efficient way.
Maine has taken measures to make sure schools have connectivity across the state. The Maine School and Library Network is an association of 1000 schools and libraries that receive internet connectivity through funding from Maine Telecommunications Education Access Fund and the Federal E-Rate Program.
Bandwidth: 100% of students in Maine can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds.
Maine has enacted legislation to promote personalized learning in their state. The Innovative, Autonomous Public Schools, Innovative Public School Zones statue gives schools various flexibilities to focus on diverse students needs, such as curriculum, new models of instruction, seat time, teacher development, and more.
The state also has the Maine Cohort for Customized Learning, which is a coalition of individuals, organizations and districts in Maine, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania that advocate for personalized learning in schools.
Governor Mills closed schools on March 15th and then extended the closure for the remainder of the school year on April 7th. One early step Maine took was to waive many requirements that would prevent schools from adapting to the new circumstances; these decisions can be seen in March 23rd and 25th announcements. The state posted guidelines for remote learning and while not requiring districts to submit plans for remote learning, as nearly every other state did, it did ask districts to report if they did devise a plan. The state aired a daily virtual lesson on public television, led by teachers there and tried to address access to devices and the internet, Teachers were offered professional development specific to online teaching, and the state developed a website of resources for students, parents, teachers, and school administrators.
Maine did not take substantial steps to ensure increased access to devices or internet for those who were in need.
July 29, Maine announced that all schools in the state are recommended for in-person teaching. The state subsequently amended that and has approved all schools to offer in-person instruction, but the decision is up to the districts.
Fast Facts
4th Grade Math Proficiency:
8th Grade Math Proficiency:
12th Grade Math Proficiency:
4th Grade Reading Proficiency:
8th Grade Reading Proficiency:
12th Grade Reading Proficiency:
Graduation Rate:
Average SAT Score:
Average ACT Score:
Public School Enrollment:
Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:
Average Student Funding:
Score:
Grade:
C
Rank:
#36
The Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) was the first 1:1 student-to-device initiative in the nation. In 2002, Maine provided every 7th and 8th grade student and teacher in the state a portal device, along with support that was needed to effectively use them. The MLTI provides participating schools with educational technology packages with either HP or Apple, and also awards grants for schools to purchase their own. MLTI provides professional development training so teachers can use the technology in an effective and efficient way.
Maine has taken measures to make sure schools have connectivity across the state. The Maine School and Library Network is an association of 1000 schools and libraries that receive internet connectivity through funding from Maine Telecommunications Education Access Fund and the Federal E-Rate Program.
Bandwidth: 100% of students in Maine can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds.
Maine has enacted legislation to promote personalized learning in their state. The Innovative, Autonomous Public Schools, Innovative Public School Zones statue gives schools various flexibilities to focus on diverse students needs, such as curriculum, new models of instruction, seat time, teacher development, and more.
The state also has the Maine Cohort for Customized Learning, which is a coalition of individuals, organizations and districts in Maine, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania that advocate for personalized learning in schools.
Governor Mills closed schools on March 15th and then extended the closure for the remainder of the school year on April 7th. One early step Maine took was to waive many requirements that would prevent schools from adapting to the new circumstances; these decisions can be seen in March 23rd and 25th announcements. The state posted guidelines for remote learning and while not requiring districts to submit plans for remote learning, as nearly every other state did, it did ask districts to report if they did devise a plan. The state aired a daily virtual lesson on public television, led by teachers there and tried to address access to devices and the internet, Teachers were offered professional development specific to online teaching, and the state developed a website of resources for students, parents, teachers, and school administrators.
Maine did not take substantial steps to ensure increased access to devices or internet for those who were in need.
July 29, Maine announced that all schools in the state are recommended for in-person teaching. The state subsequently amended that and has approved all schools to offer in-person instruction, but the decision is up to the districts.
4th Grade Math Proficiency:
8th Grade Math Proficiency:
12th Grade Math Proficiency:
4th Grade Reading Proficiency:
8th Grade Reading Proficiency:
12th Grade Reading Proficiency:
Graduation Rate:
Average SAT Score:
Average ACT Score:
Public School Enrollment:
Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:
Average Student Funding:
Janet Mills (D)
First term began in 2019 (two-term limit)
Governor Janet Mills has firmly stated she opposes both private and public school choice: “I firmly oppose taking tax dollars from the public education system to fund new private or charter schools, and I do not support lifting the cap on new charters. When not opposing choice initiatives she has signed a bill instituting a permanent cap on charter schools and a bill capping the number of students who can enroll at the state’s two virtual charter schools.
The legislature in Maine is essentially hostile to parent power. A Democratic majority in both chambers sides with the unions most of the time. The 2019 bill to make the cap of 10 maximum charter schools permanent was a real setback, but not the only bad vote. There could hardly be a more difficult environment to pass legislation that would enable all students in Maine to have expanded educational opportunities.
Blaine is dead and opportunity is consequently growing in the Pine Tree state. In December 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court argued in Carson v. Makin and in a 6-3 ruling, that a state may not prohibit families that participate in educational choice programs from selecting schools that provide religious instruction. The case was initially filed by Maine families who were denied a choice of a private school simply because it was religious. Chief Justice Roberts, writing for the majority, held that Maine “violated the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment” when it prohibited parents from choosing religious educational options in a school choice program.
School and district report cards are easily located on Maine’s DOE homepage under Testing & Accountability, and clicking ESSA Dashboard. Report cards are easy to navigate and give you the option to view a high level snapshot or dig deep into detailed information on students, staff, student behavior, per-pupil spending, and academic performance. Educational options are also easily found from Maine’s DOE homepage.
School board elections are not held during the general election cycle, they are held at different times of the year, which usually means lower voter turnout.
Janet Mills (D)
First term began in 2019 (two-term limit)
Governor Janet Mills has firmly stated she opposes both private and public school choice: “I firmly oppose taking tax dollars from the public education system to fund new private or charter schools, and I do not support lifting the cap on new charters. When not opposing choice initiatives she has signed a bill instituting a permanent cap on charter schools and a bill capping the number of students who can enroll at the state’s two virtual charter schools.
The legislature in Maine is essentially hostile to parent power. A Democratic majority in both chambers sides with the unions most of the time. The 2019 bill to make the cap of 10 maximum charter schools permanent was a real setback, but not the only bad vote. There could hardly be a more difficult environment to pass legislation that would enable all students in Maine to have expanded educational opportunities.
Blaine is dead and opportunity is consequently growing in the Pine Tree state. In December 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court argued in Carson v. Makin and in a 6-3 ruling, that a state may not prohibit families that participate in educational choice programs from selecting schools that provide religious instruction. The case was initially filed by Maine families who were denied a choice of a private school simply because it was religious. Chief Justice Roberts, writing for the majority, held that Maine “violated the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment” when it prohibited parents from choosing religious educational options in a school choice program.
School and district report cards are easily located on Maine’s DOE homepage under Testing & Accountability, and clicking ESSA Dashboard. Report cards are easy to navigate and give you the option to view a high level snapshot or dig deep into detailed information on students, staff, student behavior, per-pupil spending, and academic performance. Educational options are also easily found from Maine’s DOE homepage.
School board elections are not held during the general election cycle, they are held at different times of the year, which usually means lower voter turnout.