Maine School Boards Association
49 Community Drive
Augusta  Maine 04330
(207) 622-3473 - Tel
(207) 626-2968 - Fax

Kristin Malin, President 
Dale A. Douglass, Executive Director

2007-2008 Adopted MSBA Resolutions

The following MSBA Resolutions were adopted by a vote of the Delegate Assembly on October 26, 2007.

2.A.2.e     Advertising in the Schools

     The Maine School Boards Association encourages local school boards to adopt policies on advertising in schools, including a prohibition on advertisements for products that do not meet minimum nutrition standards or which are otherwise incompatible with the educational mission of the schools.  Boards should evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of advertising prior to entering into any contractual arrangements for enhancement of school facilities, instructional programming or extracurricular activities.

2.A.3.f     Business Employment of Students

    The Maine School Boards Association reminds local school boards of the statute which restricts employment of students during the school year, as well as limits work permits to students with appropriate attendance and grades.  Moreover, boards are urged to direct the schools to work closely with parents, businesses, and potential employers of students to obtain recognition and support of the need for balance between work and schooling to enhance the development of young people.  The MSBA urges the Maine Legislature to refrain from passing legislation that prescribes a date certain for the opening  of Maine schools.  MSBA believes that decision is best made at the local level.    

2.A.4.c     Written Policies

     The Maine School Boards Association believes that policymaking is an essential part of the school board's governance role.  MSBA recommends that local school boards develop and adopt clear written policies to establish and communicate their priorities and expectations.  In developing policies, boards should seek input from school administrators, staff, and groups affected by proposed policies.  Boards should recognize that while they are the policy-making bodies, they need to delegate responsibility for implementation  of policy and development of appropriate regulations to the Superintendent and his/her designees.  Boards should monitor policies to ensure that they are followed, evaluate policies to see if they are  producing the intended results, and establish a process to provide for periodic comprehensive review of the board's policy manual.

2.B.1.a    Wellness

      The Maine School Boards Association recognizes that wellness is related to a students' overall well-being and their readiness to learn.  MSBA believes that local school boards should promote a school environment that supports and encourages wellness, including healthy food choices, nutrition education, regular physical activity, and an awareness of suicide prevention and the seriousness of violence and bullying within the school.  MSBA urges boards to adopt a comprehensive wellness policy that sets goals for nutrition education, physical activity, and other school efforts that support a healthy lifestyle.  MSBA also urges local school boards to provide for instruction to increase awareness of the threats to health associated with use of tobacco, alcohol, drugs, and performance enhancing substances.

2.B.1.f     Career and Technical Education

     The Maine School Boards Association recognizes the continued importance of providing students with meaningful learning opportunities through career and technical education.  MSBA urges the Department of Education, through its rulemaking authority, to assure the integration of  CTE within the Maine System of Learning Results.  The MSBA further urges the DOE to provide adequate funding within the EPS funding formula to support CTE programs and services.

2.B.4.b    Student's Rights/Conduct

     The Maine School Boards Association urges school boards to ensure that a student code of conduct and student handbook are developed and distributed each school year so that students understand their right and responsibilities, the types of conduct that are expected, those that are unacceptable, and the consequences for each. MSBA encourages boards to adopt policies that set high standards for acceptable student conduct in order to maintain a respectful and supportive learning environment in every school and to support school administrators in their implementation of such policies.  Policies that are adopted after the issuance of the student handbook should be disseminated to students and parents during the school year.

Special Resolutions

4.8     Maine Department of Education: Objective and Independent Review

     The Maine School Boards Association urges the Maine Legislature to create a special task force to objectively and independently examine the role, responsibilities and functions of the Maine Department of Education.  The task force should, among other responsibilities, examine: (1) the capacity of the DOE to fulfill its responsibilities, (2) the administrative organization of the Department, (3) the adequacy of the Department's budget, and an analysis of the expenditures of DOE funds, and (4) the impact that the DOE has on improving education for all Maine students.
     The task force should be authorized to report back to the Legislature's Education Committee with its findings and suggestions for structural and/or operational changes that would improve the Department's service and oversight responsibilities.  MSBA suggests that the task force have representation from local school boards, superintendents, principals, teachers, special education directors, parents, municipals officials, and higher education.  

4.9       Issuance of School Administrative Unit GPA Printouts

      The Maine School Boards Association urges the Legislature to adopt legislation that requires the Commissioner of Education to release individual SAU printouts based on the funding level proposed in the Governor's Budget and issue updated printouts based on any final recommendations made by the Education or Appropriations Committee within ten days after such recommendations are released.

4.10     School Consolidation Law

     The Maine School Boards Association (MSBA) believes that the recently enacted consolidation law has numerous flaws that include:          

     The MSBA believes that, at a minimum, the law should be amended:

      The above constitutes but a small portion of the issues that need to be addressed.  MSBA believes that taking the time to identify, address, and correct the deficiencies of this law offers an opportunity to make voluntary consolidation and regionalization workable.  If the Department of Education continues to portray this law as needing only minor adjustments to be workable, then the resulting consequences will directly and negatively impact all Maine students, schools, and communities.
     The Maine School Boards Association directs its Officers, Board of Directors, and MSMA staff to work with members of the Maine Legislature and the Department of Education to achieve these significant and necessary amendments to the "Consolidation" law enacted as part of LD 499, the state budget bill. (Adopted 2007)

4.11     Repeal of School Consolidation Law    

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