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MSAD 51 begins planning as Maine shifts preschool special-education responsibility to school districts
Summary
At a workshop, MSAD 51 board and local preschool providers discussed the state's law shifting special-education services for 3- to 5-year-olds from CDS to local SAUs, funding mechanics, cohort timing, provider partnerships, staffing needs and remaining operational questions ahead of the district's cohort commitment.
MSAD 51 board members, early-childhood providers and state officials met in a workshop to review a state law that moves responsibility for special-education services for 3- to 5-year-olds from Child Development Services (CDS) to local school administrative units (SAUs).
The discussion focused on implementation options, funding flows and operational impacts. Nicole Madore, early childhood specialist on the Maine Department of Education's early learning team, and Tara Williams, associate director at the Office of Child and Family Services, explained that the change is cohort-based and that the statutory expectation is for SAUs to have adopted provision of services by July 1, 2028. Madore said CDS will remain the lead for children ages 0-3 and a statewide hub for supports even after the shift for 3- to 5-year-olds.
District and…
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