The most dramatic racial disparity impacts Latino high school students, for whom the chronic absenteeism rate is 38 percent, compared to 19 percent for their white peers.
Rachel Ohm
Staff Writer
Rachel covers state government and politics for the Portland Press Herald. It’s her third beat at the paper after stints covering City Hall and education. Prior to her arrival at the Press Herald in the summer of 2019, Rachel worked at the Morning Sentinel in Waterville, covering Franklin and Somerset counties, and the Knoxville News Sentinel in Knoxville, Tennessee, covering higher education. She has a master’s degree in journalism from New York University and when she’s not writing and reporting enjoys running, cooking and traveling to new places.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Schools & Education
Portland school board approves $3,000 bonuses for bus drivers, allows rides in private vehicles
The votes come a day after Portland Public Schools’ first cancellation of a bus route this year caused by staffing shortages.
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Posted inLocal & State, News, Schools & Education
Portland may offer $3,000 bonus to lure new school bus drivers
The city’s school board also may allow staff members and volunteers to drive students to and from school in private vehicles because of the critical staffing shortage.
Posted inLocal & State, Schools & Education
Maine college enrollments drop as pandemic, job market pull students from classrooms
The decline in higher education enrollment has been particularly felt by community colleges, which are seeing a 5.9 percent drop in student numbers this fall.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Schools & Education
USM faculty raise concerns with chancellor about university’s independence
The faculty and staff fear that unified accreditation may lead to less independence for USM, though Chancellor Dannel Malloy says it will allow for collaboration and let the UMaine System’s campuses retain control of budgets and other decisions.
Posted inNews, Schools & Education
UMaine reports record enrollment driven by graduate and out-of-state students
The flagship campus in Orono has 11,989 students this fall, an increase of 2.1% that stands in contrast to national trends.
Posted inElections, Local & State, News, Politics
More than 400,000 Mainers voted in statewide referendums and local races
While official results are not yet available, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said Maine had strong voter turnout, and absentee ballot use, for an off-year, referendum-only election.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Maine reports another 572 cases of COVID-19 and 6 additional deaths
Hospitalizations also remain high, with 206 people across the state hospitalized with COVID-19 on Thursday.
Posted inLocal & State, Maine Crime, News, Schools & Education
Portland school employee now faces federal sex crime charges
The latest charges against Benjamin Conroy are related to the same incident in the classroom at Ocean Avenue Elementary School where he worked as an education technician.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Schools & Education
USM Faculty Senate urges UMaine System to retain Cummings as president
Glenn Cummings says the faculty resolution is ‘very heartwarming,’ but he is comfortable with his decision to step down from the presidency into a teaching position.