[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6637353,"mediaKeyId","2586795-f7d10c48c47daabd5599f0896f39f895","parentId",2586795,"title","School committee approves consent agenda, including certified contract for a special-education teacher","audioSeconds",35,"startMs",216000,"endMs",251000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2586795-f7d10c48c47daabd5599f0896f39f895&start=216&end=251","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2586795-f7d10c48c47daabd5599f0896f39f895/thumbnail_216000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6637353/Maine/School-committee-approves-consent-agenda-including-certified-contract-for-a-special-education-teacher","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6637353-1f000e5af930bee2e0af3a72364f9361/orig.mp4?Expires=1775392292&Signature=OOT4o5aTp46C-IGpcaJ-Xx1nb-Iisuz4gTK8cw4ptJc~8KDike0aEpF37DDLvSwp53y2wsnlCU-GWPNo5JMrKVflyODQmJOJ50j0ES28c4~peKIbfYtHELeb8wO2NqJvjoWXdxNmuU5J7gsQGRwxOvgIWDHJam2ISNV3KwgGeNGQ4S7uE5sJ2CcX9E8g3y8Y6KrS6hOZAamZsOGNJSn5Hg34dSJdbgBcPljOu0JITD851jxIqm8N0nsiksZRlRMwZnob12r2f19TptzQUoOfulFotIE2tDJs97COJTIE7r2Ljx4nBFJe5uGBnFB1mD60YsIuKjL3nCwbYCMb44RBpg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Auburn Public Schools","date","2025-03-13T00:12:28.867Z","article","The Auburn School Committee unanimously approved the consent agenda at its March 12, 2025 meeting. The consent agenda included approval of the meeting agenda, the minutes of the March 5, 2025 meeting, and the certified contract of Brian Michaud, a special-education teacher at Auburn Middle School.

A committee member moved the consent agenda and the motion received a second from Council representative Adam Platt. The chair called for the vote and said, \"Motion carries.\" The committee then opened the meeting to public participation.

No roll-call vote totals were read into the minutes during the public recording; the chair announced the motion carried and the committee proceeded to the evening’s scheduled presentations.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Auburn, Maine, School Committee Meeting and Workshop, March 12, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Auburn School Committee approved its consent agenda March 12, which included the agenda, minutes and the certified contract of a special-education teacher at Auburn Middle School.","taxTitle","Auburn Public Schools, School Districts, Maine","taxId",66949,"location","Maine","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6637358,"Superintendent presents Cost Center 5 budget: curriculum priorities, staffing and technology needs",1316,3381000,4697000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2586795-f7d10c48c47daabd5599f0896f39f895&start=3381&end=4697","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2586795-f7d10c48c47daabd5599f0896f39f895/thumbnail_3381000.jpg","/articles/6637358/Maine/Superintendent-presents-Cost-Center-5-budget-curriculum-priorities-staffing-and-technology-needs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6637358-c2b544f6864f3170a04d6c093e7fbf1e/orig.mp4?Expires=1775392292&Signature=diNTfWeXW3FOUqL3kn3~Gl7OwWXWRSKD8vuujW3VgNCIPGkLEh3w9ho8b~saqVwSN47i0Jhi9wcBhmsFdxI0aPdad3mCMPhqUNhy1UdKC~kV5twizUSeiRF9ZrfaWeGrBUzFVLr2weriBiIQqV7JJ5l8zcwJyE1GAEqyDddxTov88SnUc80F4FxN9KYCikgKUsZrzm8Dm17owNbfYHB9VsPep514i3814yBz1dqjf-g2iYXi2z2r8DdiDR8K5bFNPG6FFCjLSQhjPpF4EFsUMSsPqmWjkW0-FfOygYFXvsecTGJUc7uAc7f8yYWSRjQziJIhH0yLcREpwrTNGZzYQA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dr. Sue Doris, superintendent of Auburn Public Schools, and Peter Robinson, the district’s technology director, presented Cost Center 5 on March 12, 2025, covering curriculum and instruction, student-and-staff support services and the technology budget.

Doris said Cost Center 5 was proposed at $4,319,556, a 2.6 percent increase from the prior year, and includes the curriculum office, summer school, gifted-and-talented programming, nursing and health services, guidance and social work, library staff and the technology department. She said district priorities include raising the percentage of students meeting state standards, maintaining a roughly 95 percent graduation rate and implementing core literacy and math programs aligned with the committee’s goals.

Doris described staffing and program details: three literacy coaches and two math coaches will continue in the curriculum office; summer school programming — previously covered with ESSER funds — must be placed in the operating budget for FY26; and the district is applying for Title I to support elementary summer programs (application due March 21). She listed positions in student support: eight nursing positions (six registered nurses, one licensed practical nurse, one health assistant), four gifted-and-talented teachers, 11 guidance counselors (with distribution by school), roughly 2.3 social-worker positions and district library staffing (one librarian at Edward Little and eight library EdTech-3s across schools).

Doris noted federal grant-funded positions tied to Title I, Title II and other ESEA funds and said federal allocations are not yet final; she cautioned that while staff reductions were not anticipated in FY26, the district needs to monitor future grant stability.

Peter Robinson reviewed the technology inventory and ongoing costs. He said the district maintains about 3,500 iPads assigned 1:1 from kindergarten through 12th grade, roughly 500 Macs for staff, and classroom projectors and network infrastructure across buildings. The district has migrated several services to cloud hosting but still maintains some local servers (including historical data for ProFund and a locally hosted PowerSchool instance). Robinson described a need to upgrade parts of the CCTV system and to maintain licensing and support contracts. He described repair and replacement costs (some devices remain under AppleCare, others are not) and recurring costs for software subscriptions and network support contracts.

Robinson described the technology staff by name and role: he is supported by a network administrator (David Strome), two district technicians (Nathaniel Proctor and Austin Busquet), a software support specialist (Stephanie Weber), building EdTech staff (Tana Ramik at Edward Little and Dylan Gelber at Auburn Middle School) and an administrative assistant shared with curriculum (Sarah Macfarlane). He described the student tech team, which provides tier-1 help at Edward Little and assists with a district call line.

Committee discussion touched on guidance staffing at Auburn Middle School, a request to consider an additional math coach, and the district’s decision to move summer school into the general fund. Doris and staff said they would return with cost estimates for questions raised during the presentation.

Doris asked the committee to note upcoming grant timelines and the potential for Title I funds to cover some summer programming; the Title I application is due March 21 and award decisions typically arrive by May.","Superintendent Sue Doris and Technology Director Peter Robinson outlined Cost Center 5 spending priorities: curriculum and instruction, summer school shifting from ESSER to the operating budget, student-support staffing, grant-funded positions and a largely steady technology budget with specific infrastructure and licensing needs.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6637361,"LRTC officials report enrollment gains, new CTE programs and an $84,000 subsidy variance",1296,2078000,3374000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2586795-f7d10c48c47daabd5599f0896f39f895&start=2078&end=3374","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2586795-f7d10c48c47daabd5599f0896f39f895/thumbnail_2078000.jpg","/articles/6637361/Maine/LRTC-officials-report-enrollment-gains-new-CTE-programs-and-an-84000-subsidy-variance","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6637361-0916a7ffba6a5609119deb6fe154b5a6/orig.mp4?Expires=1775392292&Signature=HRrSmZTPEAMKWu59CSPJDGS9jcVBO05zjdRheXBypvBLvJaodNOOfVeM1g1eK9qW~SddzNWEYi15BTWU3ylwITqpShYPx78c6yyGLqp-3EP6jY-zK8jc~SfhHNbTAEg05nJBeN2bIhq1WMHJs9Wxf45ZT0Y3F8zQl3s32WTk8HIVfAz9INbrhnkgBsGgXExMbOXLrtvwcQNhhwSmH8vC3S0ZQs9Ea8jQy1D0vz03DGZdMBbErggHSHiKZ5vMytiEaSMuf8O~RZWBGMShuk~MAT19r-DnJjoAfiWgMbBHwdI0gqVwX1RoDjsWloFlCA1TAajj9yOFiul8f8eIww2ZXg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Rob Callahan, director of the Lewiston Regional Technical Center (LRTC), and Matt West, LRTC assistant director, briefed the Auburn School Committee on March 12 on cost center 3 (career and technical education), presenting program growth, new offerings and a state subsidy outlook.

Callahan said the CTE program at Edward Little High School and regional partners has grown faster than expected: \"We're up by over 100 applications even now with still a month to go in our cycle,\" he told the committee, and he said community and employer partners — including the Auburn Fire Department and local businesses — have supported program expansion.

Matt West described new and expanding programs: the criminal-justice program relocated from Lewiston to Auburn; a hospitality and culinary program with growing days of operation; cosmetology partnerships with Aveda that create a postsecondary pipeline; a second-year early-childhood program aimed at state CECA certification; a grant-funded, state-of-the-art EMT mannequin; and ongoing collaboration with the Auburn Fire Department for firefighting instruction. West said LRTC will open an auto collision repair program at Edward Little High School in fall 2025 and plans two CTE Exploration programs in fall 2026 targeting ninth- and tenth-grade students in health and trades.

West also noted SkillsUSA participation: LRTC planned to send 105 students to statewide SkillsUSA competitions, including 19 Edward Little students. Student representative Connor Dufour was among those competing.

Callahan explained the CTE subsidy mechanics the state uses and why equipment and transportation remain local funding pressures. He said the state formula yields about $5.3 million in subsidy for the region; LRTC’s budget for the year is $5,392,000 with an estimated subsidy of $5,308,000, leaving a variance of roughly $84,000 to be divided among partner districts under the regional cost-sharing agreement. He said Auburn’s resulting contribution would be about $18,000 under that allocation.

Callahan and West said the budget request includes funds to start the collision-repair program (specialized equipment such as a spray booth and paint) and to pay for consumables in trade programs (metal, lumber, welding supplies). They also proposed adding a dedicated student-services advisor to serve the Edward Little campus — they estimated about 225 students there next year and another 25 to 30 students taking classes at Central Maine Community College — to strengthen internships, plant tours and career advisement.

Committee members asked several operational questions, including a clarification on an enrollment-based tuition-payment line. The presenters confirmed a previously cited $74,800 tuition number was revised and that the current packet estimate for Auburn’s share was $18,331. Callahan said the LRTC budget was largely flat-funded but had targeted increases to cover equipment, consumables and the proposed student-services position.

Callahan and West said the regional model has allowed LRTC to scale programming and that future expansion to earlier grades and middle-school exposure programs (including a 'Trades for Me' program for young women and a Project Ignite pre-engineering pathway) are planned to improve retention and career pathway awareness.

Callahan and West asked the committee to consider the program’s value to students and the community as budget deliberations continue.","Leaders from the Lewiston Regional Technical Center told the Auburn School Committee that CTE enrollments are up, new programs are being added and that state subsidy rules leave a small regional variance to allocate.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6637366,"Auburn School officials outline rising special-education costs and revenue strategies",1831,268000,2099000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2586795-f7d10c48c47daabd5599f0896f39f895&start=268&end=2099","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2586795-f7d10c48c47daabd5599f0896f39f895/thumbnail_268000.jpg","/articles/6637366/Maine/Auburn-School-officials-outline-rising-special-education-costs-and-revenue-strategies","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6637366-70da47a2397eef201afe5f2aeb4f5440/orig.mp4?Expires=1775392292&Signature=XNvte6ymcA5YJh-C-pnLu4PRFm0doiOpc3i0Y38GreJ5oJhZQ5kLJuXVd2ytCzxqBtwD5-t4W9UVrUpHRmcZGUwLof3-Ekb2yhgviOrUeGfFpPlBXQekuRDAyrf-DpmB~doWWbFJfD8hufLRrlfhwbGENcrJ3qeo092RF0yO760vyGNkGG0crIuniSnW8Fe7airtDuHmSzaRfv3Ou~yxHnp2PeDbtBASxQ-RlIw6WMJDPMi4p-nen9Z6JWJxE0RSmeJBn2bC27FJoKUXPGnzdRe2KPJ0Evf6kokQmtuYyYStdoF2sEeXb7V~KxTBYJq66Gv07VVEF6Le9drk~hsJjg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Laura Shaw, director of student services for Auburn Public Schools, told the Auburn School Committee on March 12, 2025, that special education (cost center 2) remains a major and growing expense and described several revenue and cost-mitigation strategies the district is pursuing.

Shaw said the district’s October 1 count showed 649 students with individualized education programs, about 20.9 percent of the student population, roughly in line with the Maine average of 21 percent and well above the national average of about 15 percent. \"Specially designed instruction with no cost to parents to meet the unique needs of a student with a disability,\" Shaw said, describing the statutory purpose of special education in the district.

Shaw told the committee Auburn has 60 students placed in special-purpose private schools this year and has budgeted for 64 such placements for fiscal planning. She said those placements are an expensive and variable cost driver and that the district offsets part of the tuition spending with a local entitlement grant \"by about $600,000.\" She did not provide a single consolidated dollar total for the district’s full private-school tuition budget in the presentation.

A major factor Shaw described is MaineCare reimbursement for related services (physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language therapy and behavioral health provider services). She said third-party private schools typically bill MaineCare directly and that MaineCare pays roughly 62 percent of related-service costs while the district is responsible for the remaining 38 percent. The district distinguishes two MaineCare billing categories she called \"section 28\" (for students with autism and intellectual disabilities) and \"section 65\" (for students with behavioral or social disabilities).

Shaw said the district saw a large MaineCare-related cost increase last year — she cited a 44 percent rise — and that for the coming budget staff were told to assume an additional 3 percent increase in these related-service costs. She also described an unexpected, large rate increase at one long-standing partner program: a therapeutic program associated with Saint Mary's (the Renaissance School) was taken over by Spurwink and its daily tuition rose from about $273.55 to about $380 per day for five students, a roughly 39 percent increase.

To offset costs, Shaw outlined multiple strategies the district is pursuing: maximizing MaineCare billing where eligible; billing MaineCare for transportation for students in special-purpose private schools (a recently identified 100 percent-reimbursable item the district began preparing to bill this fall); actively pursuing DOE reimbursements for age-21-and-over services; expanding Child Development Services (CDS) billable work for preschool special-education services; and making fuller use of federal IDEA grant funds for staffing and supplies. Shaw said the IDEA grant in recent years has been \"around a million dollars,\" and she estimated preschool CDS billing could yield at least about $50,000 annually once processes are restored.

Committee members asked whether the district had considered creating in-house programs to reduce placements and transportation. Shaw said Auburn has had such programs in the past and that Lewiston has developed in-house capacity, but she cautioned that in-house programs require facility space, higher staff pay to compete with nonunion private programs, clinical supervision (for BHP services, BCBAs or psychologists), and time to hire and certify staff. She said the district would like to pursue options when facilities become clearer through the master facilities planning process, but it would not be feasible to stand up a large in-house program in time for the upcoming budget cycle.

Shaw confirmed that the SEED-related costs she described apply to the students placed in special-purpose private schools in addition to their daily tuition rates. She described ongoing case-management work aimed at returning students to district classrooms where appropriate but noted placements are a moving target as students move in and out of placements.

Shaw and assistant director Rod Butott described continued operational work to increase reimbursements and reduce net cost to the general fund, including staff attendance at MaineCare billing training and monthly follow-ups with state agencies. Committee members pressed for further analysis of phased approaches to bringing services in-house in future years.

Laura Shaw said the district will continue pursuing reimbursements and refining cost estimates as budget work continues, and that staff would present additional detail in future budget meetings.","District staff told the Auburn School Committee that special-education spending is a major and growing budget driver, describing rising placements in private special-purpose schools, MaineCare billing dynamics, and steps the district is taking to recover or offset costs.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

School committee approves consent agenda, including certified contract for a special-education teacher

Superintendent presents Cost Center 5 budget: curriculum priorities, staffing and technology needs

LRTC officials report enrollment gains, new CTE programs and an $84,000 subsidy variance

Auburn School officials outline rising special-education costs and revenue strategies