Maine Department of Education

Maine Department of Education is the state department of education in the U.S. state of Maine. It is headquartered in the Burton Cross State Office Building in Augusta.[1]

The Maine Department of Education is responsible for Maine's public education.

History

From 1854 to 1913 the department was mostly a one-person operation. The Maine board of Education was formally constituted in 1949 and legislation soon increased the size of the department.[2]

The state has debated state and federal funding of public education. In 2004 voters approved a measure requiring the state to pay for 55% of the cost of education. In 2016 voters approved the Maine Question 2 ballot measure to tax income earners over $200,000 to fund public education, but this was not implemented. The state will fund 55% for the 2022 fiscal year.[3]

Operations

The Maine Department of Education takes responsibility for coordinating school assignments in the unorganized territories.[4]

The department itself operates the following public schools in unorganized territories. As of 2025 state-operated schools in unorganized territory are:[5]

The department previously operated:

As of 1998 these schools do not have their own school boards.[7]

In 2003, there were about 1,250 K-12 students in the unorganized territory, with about 1,000 being sent to area schools with tuition money, and about 250 attending schools directly operated by the Maine Department of Education.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Maps and Driving Directions." Maine Department of Education. Retrieved on September 10, 2009.
  2. ↑ "150 Years in Education - PART II | Department of Education". www.maine.gov. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  3. ↑ Andrew Howard (August 29, 2021). "Education officials, advocates celebrate 55% state funding achievement. But can it endure?". The Maine Monitor. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Education in the Unorganized Territory - Find Your School". Maine Department of Education. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Education in the Unorganized Territory Schools". Maine Department of Education. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 "EDUCATION IN UNORGANIZED TERRITORY". Maine Department of Education. Archived from the original on June 19, 2001. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Reilly, Wayne (November 28, 1988). "Smallest schools to set big example". Bangor Daily News. Vol. 100, no. 139. Bangor, Maine. pp. 1-2 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Community center may close". Pioneer Times. Bangor Publishing Company. October 10, 2007. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Education in Unorganized Territory". Maine Department of Education. April 5, 2010. Archived from the original on June 2, 2010. Retrieved July 13, 2025.

See also


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