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June 20-23
Atlanta, GA
 

Keynote Speakers:

President Bill Clinton

Arne Duncan

Hon. Cory A. Booker

Eva Moskowitz

Marian Wright Edelman

 

 MACS was there!

FMI Click Here

 

MACS is now on Facebook!


Friends & Fans - Click here!

 

Public Charter Schools - Legal in Maine

August Update:

       Maine's Department of Education and State Board of Education are busy assuming their new roles implementing the new law. 

       MACS is working with both.  On August 16 we facilitated a session on the "authorizing" process at the State Board's annual retreat, featuring presentations by David Hansen of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers and Roberta Tenney of the New Hampshire Department of Education Authorizing Office.

 

New Maine Charter School Website

The Maine Department of Education now has an area of their website devoted to public charter schools.

Click Here to Visit

Founder's Forum

       MACS and the Department of Education have been receiving many requests for information from people interested in starting a charter school.  It is exciting to witness this burst of creative energy directed to benefit the public education system in Maine and the children it serves.

       To provide potential charter school "founders" with the information they seek, MACS is hosting a forum at the Augusta Civic Center on Sat. Sept. 17 to discuss the process of opening a public charter school under Maine's new law and to network with others interested in founding a school.  FMI, Click Here

Public Charter Schools are now Legal in Maine!

On Wednesday, June 29, in a ceremony in the State House Hall of Flags attended by Senators and Representatives from both parties, MACS staff and a number of charter school supporters of all ages,
Governor LePage signed LD 1553,
"An Act to Create a Charter School Program in Maine"    into law!

Speakers included:
Governor Paul LePage,
Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen,
LD 1553 Prime Sponsor Senator Garrett Mason, Ed. Committee Chair Senator Brian Langley, and
Dr. Judith Jones, Chair, MACS' Board of Directors.


Thank you Everyone for your extraordinary effort!
 

Click Here to see the Roll Call Votes.

 Senate    -    House

Please thank your Senator and Representative for their support.

To Find YOUR Senator and Representative
Click Here!


M
aine's charter school bill
LD 1553 has passed at last! 

Looking back...

June 29 - Governor LePage signed LD 1553 into law.

June 28 - the Maine Senate, after a formal action, sent LD 1553 to the Governor for signing.

June 16 - the Maine House voted to pass LD 1553 with Amendment A in a bipartisan 89 to 55 vote.

June 15 - the Maine Senate voted to pass LD 1553 in a bipartisan 21 to 15 vote.

May 25 - Portland Press Herald Editorial: "Charter School Bill Should be made law". Click to Read

May 24 - Bangor Daily News OP ED by Bill Jones Click to Read

May 20 - At Work Session #2 the Education Committee endorsed public charter schools with a bipartisan vote!
Read MACS' Press Release

May 17 - The Education Committee held Work Session #1

May 14 - The Education Committee held the public hearing on LD 1553 - Many supporters made a strong case for charter schools at the Public Hearing before the Education & Cultural Affairs Committee.

May 13 - The Maine State Board of Education voted unanimously to support LD 1553.

May 10 - Bangor Daily News Editorial: "Give Charters a Chance".
Click to Read

 

LD 1553 "An Act to Create a Charter School Program in Maine"

LD 1553 has been printed and posted on the Legislature's website, but important amendments were unfortunately omitted.  The complete version that was presented to the Education Committee is available here - click our Legislation link above or Click Here.

Read MACS Briefing Papers
See the New Link, Top Left or Click Here

Click to Download & Read:

»
MACS' Tri-fold Brochure

»
MACS' Booklet Brochure


 


Inequity Persists in Charter School Funding

A new report just released by Ball State University details an average 19.2 percent disparity in funding between charter and other public schools – a gap that grows to more than 27 percent in 40 cities where most charters are located.  

Click Here for the full report


Free to Lead: Autonomy in Highly Successful Charter Schools

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools' latest issue brief identifies seven distinct ways autonomy impacts operational and academic performance at five highly successful charter schools.

Click Here to Read More


Disturbing Data
from the Maine Coalition for Excellence in Education
in their February report to the State Board of Education, "Education is Job #1".

Click Here for MACS' reaction

 


Teachers Union Chokes Off School Reform

by Rep. Richard Cebra, R. Naples in "As Maine Goes"

Click Here for a "no holds barred" explanation of why we still don't have charter schools in Maine.


 

 "Administration's School Reform Bills Fail to Innovate Maine Schools"

The Maine Heritage Policy Center is critical of Proposed Race to the Top Legislation

Click Here to Read their Press Release


MACS NEWS

Click Here for our latest Newsletter which now comes via Constant Contact in a new format - Check it out & Subscribe if you wish!


The Race-2-Augusta

Most candidates for governor support charter schools!  MACS offers all candidates for office information on charter schools, and works closely with those who carry our torch in the policy arena.
For this year's Gubernatorial statements on charter schools, follow this link:
http://augustainsider.us/gubnernatorialcharterschools/.


Congressional Action

 Congress has approved a $40 million increase in the federal Charter School Grant Program, for a total of $256 million for this year.
 Congressman Jared Polis of Colorado has introduced the All-STAR Act, H.R. 4330, that would support increased funding for successful charter schools and expand flexibility in using federal funds.
  The role of charter school authorizers has been enhanced through Congressional legislation that adds three new eligibility criteria to the Charter School Grant Program.


FUNDING for AUTHORIZERS! 

The National Association of Charter School Authorizers has established the Fund for Authorizing Excellence to award grants to improve the work of authorizers. 

FMI, see www.publiccharters.org and www.qualitycharters.org


Media Support in 2009

 Kennebec Journal Article

   Nov 10 -  Maine faulted for lacking education innovations

 Portland Press Herald Editorials

   Nov. 3 - Charter schools should be part of dropout debate

   Oct. 17 - Charter schools deserve another look from state

 In the Press:
 
Editorial - Portland Press Herald , Sept. 22, 2010

After decades of school reform, not much has changed.

OP Ed - The Maine Campus,  - Sept. 23, 2010
 Charter Schools offer new possibilities, change



Meanwhile ...

To learn about charter schools, please

¬ check out our links top left.  For news of our recent past, please Click Here

 To Contact MACS: macs@mainecharterschools.org


Did You Know?

Twice as many registered voters favor charter schools as oppose them. The more people learn about charter schools, the more they like them.

Source: State of the Charter School Movement 2005


 

 

 

DATA on Achievement in Charter Schools

DATA on Public Opinion of Charter Schools