State of Maine Archives: on Education

Janet Mills: $6 million in low/no interest loans for childcare facilities

Susan Collins: Allow employers to help pay employee student debt

Susan Collins: Yes. Co-sponsored legislation to fund need-based grants to low-income students and to allow employers to help pay employee student debt.

Sara Gideon: Yes. Will work to "lower the cost of college and tackle the student loan debt crisis." Sponsored education funds for low-income adults with minor children.

Sara Gideon: Access to high quality K-12 education for every family

Sara knows how important access is when it comes to education--as a senator, she will work to:
• Ensure that every family has the opportunity to receive a high quality K-12 education no matter their neighborhood, family circumstances or race;
• Expand early childhood education and quality childcare opportunities;
• Value teachers and the job they do in the form of higher wages and better benefits.

Sara Gideon: Tackle student debt crisis; expand trade, technical training

Sara knows how important access is when it comes to education--as a senator, she will work to:
• Lower the cost of college and tackle the student loan debt crisis to make higher education affordable and accessible for everyone; and
• Expand access to trade, technical and job training programs.

Janet Mills: Restore budget cuts to higher education

Our CTEs [Career and Technical Education] are more important than ever; yet they have not received significant funds for equipment since 1998. I ask this body to fund equipment upgrades for our CTEs so that teachers are able to provide our 8,000 CTE students with the skills that we desperately need them to have.

We need to simplify debt relief programs like the Educational Opportunity Tax Credit to help more graduates retire their debt. And we must boost the Educators for Maine Loan Forgiveness Program to incentivize young teachers to work in the underserved areas which desperately need them.

Janet Mills: Expand pre-school; pay teachers a living wage

We provide $18.5 million to Child Development Services to support our youngest and neediest children. For kindergarten through high school, we provide an additional $126 million. This budget invests in recruitment and retention to ensure that teachers in Maine will not be forced to leave the state for a living wage. This budget ensures that no teacher in Maine will make less than $40,000 a year.

Janet Mills: Invest $126M in public schools, and $18M for child services

We also provide $18.5 million to Child Development Services to support the needs of our youngest and neediest children. For kindergarten through high school, we provide an additional $126 million over the biennium. This brings the state's share of public education funding to nearly 51 percent of Essential Programs and Services.

Angus King: Public schools are the idea at the heart of democracy

Brakey: Yes. Supports tax credit for parents who opt out of the public education system.

King: No. "Public schools are the idea at the heart of democracy."

Ringelstein: No. Invest public funds in public schools, not voucher or privatization programs.

Angus King: Simplify repayment & refinance student loans

Brakey: Solution to student debt is teaching students real-world skills.

King: Yes. Voted for Warren bill. Also supported legislation to simplify repayment.

Ringelstein: Yes. Refinance student loans at lower rates.

Betsy Sweet: Pay teachers better; cut back on standardized tests

• Give kids a chance at affordable higher education. Provide two years of free tuition to young Mainers in exchange for a year of public service. This will teach young people the virtues of giving back, community engagement, and help them address the escalating costs of education.
• Bring Back programs for technical and skills-based education.
• Pay teachers better. We are losing skilled teachers to retirement and few are entering the field because of low pay and unfair retirement benefits.
• Cut back on standardized tests. Our education system was born in the 1920's and has become about numbers and standardized tests. Instead, let's emphasize teaching strategies that enhance today's communities and economy.
• Make pre-k available to every 3 and 4-year old in Maine, where the most difference can be made in education, as well as affordable day care and developmental services. Let's invest our money where we know it will work.

Eric Brakey: Competition will improve our schools

Q: Do you support or oppose allowing public education funds to follow students to schools or programs of their family's choice (school choice)?

Eric Brakey: Support "Competition will improve our schools by making them more responsive to the expectations of parents."

Zak Ringelstein: Refinance student loans at lower rates

Brakey: Solution to student debt is teaching students real-world skills.

King: Yes. Voted for Warren bill. Also supported legislation to simplify repayment.

Ringelstein: Yes. Refinance student loans at lower rates.

Shawn Moody: Parental and local control in education curriculum

Zak Ringelstein: Do away with school privatization; invest in public schools

Mary Mayhew: Parents should have access to multiple education choices

Chris Lyons: Vouchers for school choice

A: support

Janet Mills: Commission on Education Reform must follow open meetings law

Bruce Poliquin: Expand from 10 charters to more parental choices

I strongly support the widest educational and school choices for students and their parents. Unfortunately, it wasn't until 2012 that Maine students experienced expanded educational choices offered to students in 40 other states. For many years, the teachers union convinced enough Maine legislators to ban publically funded charter schools. Even today, Maine students will benefit from the flexible curriculums of only ten charter schools statewide. Education should be about the children, not the adults.

I have lived and share the educational values of our 2nd District families. I will carry this experience to Washington and fight for local control, student and teacher performance standards, learning excellence, and school choice.

Eric Brakey: Support private schools, charter schools, or homeschooling

Currently, parents who choose to pursue alternative education paths are punished by being forced to pay twice for their child's education: once through their taxes, and again through the costs of private school tuition or homeschooling expenses. Eric Brakey will pursue legislation to give a tax credit for education expenses to parents who opt-out of the public education system.

Parents who choose an alternative education path for their children should not be punished with added out-of-pocket expenses when they are already paying for a public school education. Eric Brakey will work to solve this problem.

Eliot Cutler: Try out Common Core standards before tweaking them

{Opponents Mike Michaud & Eliot] Cutler both diverted attention from the standards, developed by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, which have been adopted by all but a few states.

"I think teachers are sick of being pushed from pillar to post," Cutler said, advocating trying those standards for a number of years before tweaking them.

At least three states have repealed using the Common Core standards and in April 2013, the Republican National Committee adopted a resolution opposing the standards [including a possible repeal in Maine].

Paul LePage: 2011: Signed onto Common Core, but now skeptical

{Opponents Mike Michaud & Eliot] Cutler both diverted attention from the standards, developed by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, which have been adopted by all but a few states.

"I think teachers are sick of being pushed from pillar to post," Cutler said, advocating trying those standards for a number of years before tweaking them.

At least three states have repealed using the Common Core standards and in April 2013, the Republican National Committee adopted a resolution opposing the standards [including a possible repeal in Maine].

Shenna Bellows: Voucher programs siphon public school money

Eliot Cutler: Cautious support for virtual charter schools

Cutler said he supports virtual charter schools in principle as a way to "apply new technologies to improve our kids' futures," and he praised the Maine Charter School Commission, saying it has rigorously vetted the companies that have applied.

"Along with other alternatives, virtual charter schools may improve outcomes for students and families for whom traditional instruction is not working and may add value to public education in Maine," Cutler said, adding that he read the Commission's report "carefully and with great concern."

"Both the commission and the Legislature are coming to grips with the question of how we make good cyber education alternatives available to as many Maine kids as possible," he said.

Paul LePage: Strong support for charter schools, virtual or otherwise

Their views differ from that of Gov. Paul LePage, whose strong support for charter schools, virtual or otherwise, has been well-established since he took office in 2011. The Republican governor has pushed for the expansion of school choice and sees charter schools--independently run schools that operate on public dollars but often offer alternative curricula--as an important piece of that.

The State Senate proposed a one-year moratorium on for-profit virtual charter schools. The bill, which could keep Maine Connections Academy from opening this fall, awaits further votes in the Legislature. LePage has said that he would veto any moratorium

Paul LePage: Virtual charter schools are not the right answer

Michaud's campaign spokeswoman said the candidate is less likely to warm up to virtual charter schools, even after a one-year moratorium: "A number of studies have found that virtual charter schools don't serve students well. Students in virtual charter schools failed to meet Adequate Yearly Progress at rates that are worse than traditional public schools."

Michaud said he supports technological advances in the classroom but not the virtual charter schools approach. "Maine has an opportunity to create innovative virtual learning tools, but it needs to be done right," he said. "What we need is a student-focused, Maine-based solution that brings innovation to the classroom."

Eliot Cutler: Earlier schooling; longer school year; more school funding

Eliot Cutler: Pay it Forward, Pay it Back: tuition-free college

Charlie Summers: Supports vouchers, charters, magnet schools, standard tests

Summers indicates support for the following principles regarding education.
• Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any public school.
• Allow teachers and professionals to receive federal funding to establish charter or magnet schools.
• Support federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind).

Cynthia Dill: More funding for schools, teachers, and Head Start

Dill supports these principles regarding education:
• Increase state funds for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings and infrastructure).
• Increase funds for hiring additional teachers.
• Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
• Increase funding for Head Start programs.
• Provide state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to help make college more affordable.

Angus King: More teacher development; more school construction

King indicates support for the following principles regarding education.
• Increase state funds for professional development of public school teachers and administrators.
• Encourage private or corporate investment in public school programs.
• Increase state funds for school construction and facility maintenance.
• Finance school renovations and repairs jointly between local school districts and the state.

Angus King: Include both abstinence and safe sex in sex-ed

King indicates support for the following principles regarding education.
• Support sex education programs which stress abstinence.
• Support sex education programs which stress safe sexual practices.