All posts tagged "education"

Debt-free college bill ignores troubling realities of higher education in Maine

The Committee on Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business heard several bills last...

Maine cannot afford ‘debt-free’ college

This session, lawmakers in the Maine Legislature are considering a pair of bills...

Empower Maine families with school choice

Quite often we hear politicians and special interests say that the quality of...

Efforts to undermine public charter schools only hurt Maine students

A lawmaker from Portland appears to have a personal vendetta against public charter...

New budget mandates will force property tax increases on hardworking Mainers

A few weeks ago, my radio address focused on the unsustainability of the...

Maine needs more young people to skip four-year degrees and work in the trades

High school guidance counselors, parents and popular culture have spent decades telling young...

Governor Mills’ budget sets up Maine for fiscal ruin

The Maine Heritage Policy Center (MHPC) on Monday released a new analysis of...

Bill to improve teacher quality would do just the opposite

Senator Rebecca Millett, the chair of the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee, has...

New bill creates unnecessary burden for special needs students and their families

On Thursday, Feb. 14 the legislature’s education committee held a public hearing on...

Is the three percent surtax back from the dead?

During the biennial budget battle in 2017 that led to Maine’s first government...

The costs of universal pre-K are not worth the benefits

It is no secret that the Mills administration and legislative Democrats are planning...

Education in Maine is worse than you think

It’s no secret that Maine’s public K-12 education system needs work. Bloated bureaucracies...

The numbers tell the real story on education funding

It’s the political season and a lot of misinformation is flying around. I...

School choice under attack in town of Alna

In 2010, The Maine Heritage Policy Center shared an article titled, “School Choice...

Socializing higher education is not a viable solution to the student debt crisis

When it comes to the student loan debt crisis, government-oriented reforms are not...

Scarborough residents successfully recall three sitting school board members

Something beautiful happened this week – something that should scare every elected official...

It’s time to repeal proficiency-based diplomas

On Monday, April 9, at 1:30 p.m., Maine’s Joint Standing Committee on Education...

Traditional public schools suffer from educational paralysis

Education in Maine is captive to progressive administrative and structural stagnation.  Our educational system...

There is no ‘marketplace’ for ideas in higher education

James D. Herbert’s Feb. 11 column in the Portland Press Herald, “Are We Just Another...

Proficiency-based education is failing Maine students

Maine’s experimental education model, proficiency-based learning, has received strong pushback in recent weeks...

Maine can build on the success of its chartered schools

When conservatives in Augusta pushed to implement the law enabling charter schools in...

Now is the time to invest in Maine’s future

After years of fixing Maine’s balance sheet, now is the time to make...

Money will never end Maine’s education woes

Democrats can pretend to have made out like bandits in budget negotiations, but...

Maine must restore local control over its schools

The Common Core State Standards, since their adoption in 2011, have been an...

Money alone cannot solve our problems, we need change

Too much money can hide a lot of problems. Well, we spend more...

Maine liberals oblivious of actual education funding requirements

Leave it to the editorial team at the Bangor Daily News to constantly...

Education reforms should be part of state budget deal

Yes, I know, I know. This past November, voters narrowly passed a referendum...

Teacher Pay? It’s Time to Reform the Underlying Structure and Driving Factors

I agree with Governor LePage. Teachers should be paid what they are worth....

Our Teachers Should Be Paid What They Are Worth

Good teachers are critical to Maine’s future, so let’s pay them adequately. Our...

Options Lead to Potential

Every child is unique. What may work for one, will in many cases...

More Money Doesn’t Equal Better Results

As today’s world evolves toward a more progressive education system, it seems that...

LePage on Question 2

Governor LePage on Question 2 harming Maine’s economyGovernor LePage explains Question 2 –...

Tax Foundation: Question 2 Would Devastate Maine’s Business Climate

Passage of Question 2 would catapult Maine from its newly established position in...

The 7 Fatal Flaws of Question 2

MECEP Got it Wrong on Question 2

On October 19, Garrett Martin, executive director of the Maine Center for Economic Policy...

Question 2 Sets Dangerous Precedent

At this point in the election cycle we all understand fully the union...

Maine People Can’t Trust the MEA

The Maine Education Association (MEA) has used out of state funds to place...

The Real Impact of Question 2

Hi, I’m Ernie Copley.  I’m a college business teacher and a financial planner...

Question 2 Hurts Business and Exacerbates Disparities in Education Funding

Maine’s citizen’s initiative process promotes civic engagement and gives every day Mainers a...

Seven Communities to Lose Education Funding Under Question 2

If you’re from the town of Sebago, Lincolnville, Greenwood, Bremen, Newry, Machiasport, or...

Question 2 Is Really About Raising Taxes in Maine

Ancient wisdom assumed that any bird would have sense enough to avoid a...

Question 2 Doesn’t Address the High Cost of Education in Maine

One of the arguments we continue to hear against Questions 2 is that...

Maine Fairs Provide Educational Opportunities to Parents

We are reminded once again by this year’s Referendum Question 2 that it...

Hypocrisy: Dems Tout Bi-Partisanship in 2011 Tax Cuts but Support Question 2

As if it comes as any surprise, there is something remarkably hypocritical about...

Tax Flight is Real; Question 2 Would Make It Worse

Many liberal groups, including the Maine People’s Alliance, the Maine Center for Economic...

According to New Study, Education Equality Would Be Worse Under Question 2

This week, the Maine School Management Association (MSMA) – a nonprofit comprised of...

Question 2 Will Only Benefit Maine’s Most Resourceful School Districts

This year, Maine voters will face an array of ballot measures, replete with...

Don’t Be Fooled by Another Referendum That Claims to Solve Education Funding

We all agree more money should go directly into the classroom to benefit...

School Choice Would Push the Public School System in the Right Direction

*The following essay placed second in the 2016 Milton Friedman Essay Contest Lilly F., Matthew...

America Needs Educational Choice to Enhance Quality of Life

*The following essay placed third in the 2016 Milton Friedman Essay Contest As the...

Maine Education Association Puts Money Into Political Campaigns, Not Classrooms

The Maine Education Association has a tremendous influence on legislators in Augusta. But...

Another Dangerous Education Ballot Initiative

The biggest – and one of the most dangerous – myths in all...

Tax Hike Referendum Harmful to School Funding

A cone was excavated by the French at the site of ancient Lagash,...

How to Bring Accountability to Public Schools

“When school children start paying union dues, that’s when I’ll start representing the...

Education Referendum is Too Good to Be True

As with the rest of life, if something in the political world sounds...

It’s Not About the Children, It’s About the Union

The Maine Education Association is putting a dishonest initiative on the November ballot....

Who Would Really Benefit from Education Tax Initiative?

This November, Maine voters will decide on an initiative to provide further public...

LD 1492: More Is Said Than Done

Last week, Governor Paul LePage delivered a letter to the 127th Legislature vetoing...

Maine National Guard Tuition Waiver Passes House

LD 1343 among five bills aimed at helping Maine veterans passed as part...

Common Core Doesn’t Add Up

Growing up within the public school system, I dreaded the days or weeks...

This One’s on Us

It is common etiquette to buy someone a beverage of choice or dinner...

Maine Businesses and Taxpayers Deserve More

It appears that State legislative leaders and Governor Paul LePage may finally reach...

Thirty Years into a Two-Year Job

I graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in mathematics not...

State House Hostage Crisis Escalates

If there were ever any doubt that Democrats in the Maine House of...

Beardsley Nomination Temporarily Withdrawn

Today, Governor Paul LePage announced that he was withdrawing, albeit temporarily, the nomination...

Poliquin: How To Make College Affordable

As a parent, I believe the three most lasting gifts we can give...

Education Savings Accounts and the Future of School Choice in Maine

Sixty years ago Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman argued that just because we...

Maine Committee, Several Republicans Vote to Keep Common Core

The push to rid Maine of the controversial Common Core State Standards suffered...

Education Update: Maine Moves Towards Eliminating Smarter Balanced Assessments

On behalf of our children, Maine has made a major positive step forward...

Children Aren’t Robots, So Don’t Educate Them Like They Are

No two children are alike—so why must we insist upon educating them like...

School Choice Goes Digital with Virtual Charter Schools

Public education is getting a 21st Century shake-up. Back in September, Maine’s very...

Common Core: An Up-Close-And-Personal Encounter with the Standards Review Process

It was with reserved optimism that I accepted a post on the Standards...

Volk: Connecting Maine Students to Virtual Education

“Youth comes but once in a lifetime,” said Maine’s own poet and educator...

Blended Learning with Nexus Academy

In the Midwestern United States, one charter school’s approach to blended learning was...

No Common Core Maine Responds to Peter Geiger

By No Common Core Maine — The chair of Maine’s State Board of...

Blended Learning at Carpe Diem

In an Arizona desert town near the Mexico and California borders, an innovative...

Blended Learning at Rocky Mountain Prep

In southeast Denver, Colorado, one young public charter school is using blended learning...

Lewiston Mayor, City Council ask Charter School Commission to reject application over alleged misrepresentations

LEWISTON – The Mayor and City Council of Lewiston have asked the Maine...

This is what transparency looks like under the Alfond-Eves Regime

Transparency and accountability are core functions of government. Democracy does not equal self-government...

The Common Core Video You Need to Watch

Watch Dr. Sandra Stotsky break down the Common Core State Standards at Saco...

LePage appoints acting Education Commissioner

AUGUSTA – Republican Gov. Paul R. LePage announced on Tuesday that he has...

Parents hear from experts at No Common Core Rally in Saco

A crowd of parents, grandparents and taxpayers from the Saco-Biddeford area gathered at...

Maine Education Commissioner Resigns

AUGUSTA – Maine Department of Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen unexpectedly announced his resignation...

Charter school enemy Alfond addresses Maine's first charter school grads

The first students to graduate from one of Maine’s fledgling public charter schools...

Remembering Milton Friedman

Everybody can recall that one teacher who had a life-changing impression on them....

Lockman: Maine's public schools in for reality check

By Rep. Lawrence E. Lockman (R-Amherst) For compelling evidence that Maine’s public schools...

Westbrook schools in legal dispute with photocopier consultant

WESTBROOK, Maine – The Westbrook schools have hired an attorney to help navigate...

RSU 18 schools embroiled in conflict over Mass Customized Learning

UPDATE: The Maine Wire has learned that a member of the Messalonskee Middle...

M.D. Harmon: LePage's education reforms a win for Maine students

All the flapping, squawking and screeching that greeted the LePage administration’s “letter-grade” ranks...

VIDEO: Simple question embarrasses Dems at education press conference

Watch the viral video of the Maine Democrats staging a press conference to...

"F" is for Fail: Democrats attack LePage, refuse to answer questions over hazy A-F alternative

AUGUSTA – Top Democrats refuse to say how long the Party has been...

Republicans, Democrats Spar Over Charter School Bills

AUGUSTA – Republicans and Democrats on the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee sparred...

Bowdoin College "dominated by progressive ideology," scholars say

BRUNSWICK – Bowdoin College entered the national spotlight last week when the National...

Florida Education Chief to Teachers' Union: Bring Solutions to the Table

At Gov. Paul R. LePage’s Friday education conference at Cony High School in...

LePage Hosts Statewide 'Governor's Conference on Education'

AUGUSTA – Gov. Paul R. LePage held a statewide conference on education Friday...

M.D. Harmon: Right To Home-educate Assailed From U.S. To Germany

Maine is an easy state in which to exercise your right as a...

Against the Odds, Cornville's Public Charter School Offers Opportunity to Maine Students

In the face of tremendous opposition from Democratic legislators, the powerful teachers’ union,...

New Poll Shows Government-run Schools Not Meeting Demand

AUGUSTA — As Gov. Paul R. LePage pushes for more customized learning solutions,...

Athens, Brighton Plantation to Withdraw from SAD #59: A Customized Learning Response To Demographic Winter in the 2nd District

By Amanda Clark, Education Policy Analyst The rural towns of Athens and Brighton...

Governor's budget would cut 200 state jobs, reduce welfare spending, decrease revenue sharing

AUGUSTA – Governor Paul R. LePage has proposed a balanced state budget that...