Current through 2024-38, September 18, 2024
A. All state
subsidized vocational instructional programs shall be approved by the State
Board of Education prior to implementation.
B. Local Educational Agencies
1. An application from a local board of
education for vocational education programs will be submitted to the Associate
Commissioner of Vocational Education. The application will be reviewed by
members of the State Board staff and appropriate action (approval, disapproval,
or deferral) will be recommended to the Associate Commissioner of Vocational
Education.
2. The following
procedures for processing local applications for vocational programs, services,
and activities shall be utilized:
a. The
application shall be submitted by the local educational agencies.
b. Applications shall be submitted to the
Associate Commissioner of Vocational Education.
c. Application shall be reviewed by the
Associate Commissioner of Vocational Education.
d. Applications shall be verified by State
staff consultants.
e. Decision for
approval, disapproval, or deferral will be made by state staff consultants and
Associate Commissioner of Vocational Education.
f. Any applicant dissatisfied with final
action with respect to any application for funds shall be given reasonable
notice and opportunity for a hearing.
1.
Applicants shall be notified of their right to a hearing as a part of the
notice of action taken upon their applications.
2. Hearings will be scheduled within thirty
(30) working days from receipt of the request.
3. Hearings will be public and there will be
a written record of the proceedings.
4. Hearings will be conducted by the
Associate Commissioner or his delegate.
5. Decisions shall be submitted to the
petitioners in writing within fifteen (15) working days from the date of
hearing.
g. The local
educational agency shall have the opportunity of submitting within thirty (30)
days after notification of disapproval, a revised plan or part of a plan for
vocational education.
C. The Criteria for Determining Relative
Priorities of Local Applications shall be:
Factor I
1. The
Department of Commerce and the Bureau of Census were contacted for information
on the concentration of low income families. This information was used to
determine the concentration of low-income families for each county of the
State. The counties were identified with the highest number of low-income
families to the lowest number of low-income families in numerical order and
given a weighted value as to the number of low-income families in each county.
This determined Factor I of the formula.
| COUNTY | FACTOR | COUNTY
| FACTOR |
| 01 Androscoggin | 9.0 | 09
Oxford | 9.9 |
| 02 Aroostook | 16.3 | 10
Penobscot | 9.9 |
| 03 Cumberland | 7.9 | 11
Piscataquis | 10.6 |
| 04 Franklin | 9.0 | 12
Sagadahoc | 10.8 |
| 05 Hancock | 12.0 | 13
Somerset | 12.1 |
| 06 Kennebec | 7.8 | 14..Waldo |
12.1 |
| 07 Knox | 11.3 | 15 Washington
| 19.0 |
| 08 Lincoln | 12.0 | 16 York |
9.2 |
Factor II
2. The Department of Education requested from
the Bureau of Taxation the State valuation of each town in the State of Maine.
This figure was then divided by the number of pupils living in each town to
determine the relative ability to pay. This information was then weighted so
richer towns would receive a lesser value (amount) on the index scale. This
determined Factor II of the formula.
| PER PUPIL VALUATION | FACTOR | PER
PUPIL VALUATION | FACTOR |
| 500,000 & Up | 1 | 60,000 -
69,999 | 9 |
| 400,000 - 499,999 | 2 | 50,000 -
59,999 | 10 |
| 300,000 - 399,999 | 3 | 40,000 -
49,999 | 11 |
| 200,000 - 299,999 | 4 | 30,000 -
39,999 | 12 |
| 100,000 - 199,999 | 5 | 20,000 -
29,999 | 13 |
| 90,000 - 99,999 | 6 | 15,000 -
19,999 | 14 |
| 80,000 - 89,999 | 7 | 10,000 -
14,999 | 15 |
| 70,000 - 79,999 | 8 | 0 -
9,999 | 16 |
(Example)
*UNITS (L.E.A.)
| Augusta |
| Valuation | Pupils | Per Pupil
Valuation | Factor I | Factor II | Total Factor |
| $274,700,000 | 3,934.0 |
$69,827.15 | 7.8 | 9 | 16.8 |
| Caribou |
| Valuation | Pupils | Per Pupil
Valuation | Factor I | Factor II | Total Factor |
| $113,600,000 | 2,644.5 |
$42,957.08 | 16.3 | 11 | 27.3 |
*Each Unit (L.E.A.) is rated in the above manner for the
entire State.
3. Funding
allocations shall be determined by:
a. When
proposals are approved, all of the total factors for each of the units are
added together.
(Example)
Augusta 16.8
Bath 19.8
Biddeford 18.2
Caribou 27.3
Lewiston 18.0
SAD #46 -
Dexter 21.9
504. 3 (Grand Total)
b. The amount of funds to be allotted to the
program area (such as secondary, handicapped and disadvantaged programs) are
divided by the total factors for each of the approved units.
(Example) $325,000 / 504.3 = 644.457
$325,000 Amount allotted for secondary
504. 3 Grand total of factors
644-457 Common index
*This determines a common index for each program area.
c. The common index for each
program area is then multiplied by the total factor of each unit (L.E.A.)
requesting funds. (A dollar amount will be determined for each unit (L.E.A.) by
following this procedure.)
(Example)
Augusta - 16.8 X 644 -457 = $10,826.87
Caribou - 27.3 X 644 -457 = $17,593.67
d. When RFP's are received for handicapped
and disadvantaged programs, the request that serves the most students will be
considered first.
D. Each secondary center or region requesting
funding under the Basic. Grant shall certify annually that the following
requirements have been met, are on file at the local level and are available
for review on submission to State and federal agencies upon their request.
1. Budget estimates with supporting
justification.
a. Actual annual budget costs
for prior year operations.
b. A
complete financial statement of amounts and sources of available funds for each
instructional program and for the total vocational program.
2. Five year enrollment
projections.
3. Five year
construction and equipment needs projections.
4. Five year projections on vocational
enrollments from private, non-profit schools for each instructional
program.
5. Five year projections
on vocational enrollments by students of limited English-speaking ability, by
instructional program.
6.
Documentation that representatives of other related educational and training
resources within the geographical area served by the instructional programs
have been involved in all five-year planning efforts.
7. Evidence that all vocational programs are
conducted without discrimination.
8. Written vocational program educational
objectives that can be readily evaluated.
9. Identification of other services or
activities conducted in that vocational program.
10. For each instructional program, written
objectives indicating that the program will prepare students for direct or
related employment.
11. Evidence
that active craft/advisory committees exist for each instructional
program.
12. Evidence that
instructional program objectives and curriculums are reviewed annually by its
craft/advisory committees for relevance and currency.
13. Evidence that each instructional program
has been evaluated each year and that program evaluation, commendations and
recommendations are on file.
14.
Evidence that a full, in-depth, self evaluation and an appraisal by a visiting
team has been conducted every five years (may be correlated with and accepted
by the Regional Accrediting Agency in lieu of).
15. A current equipment inventory record
(processed by state computing agency).
E. Procedure for Adding a Instructional
Program
1. Prepare an application using the
justification Guide Sheet. (See Appendix A, Standard Criteria for the Approval
of Vocational Education programs).
2. Submit completed application to the
Secondary Vocational Associate Commissioner of the Bureau of Vocational
Education.
3. All applications will
be reviewed by the State staff of consultants and a recommendation for
approval, disapproval, or deferral will be made to the State Board of
Education.
F. Procedure
for Dropping a Instructional Program
Any secondary vocational school having a occupational course
with less than 10 high school students per section enrolled for two consecutive
years shall take the following steps:
1. Establish a committee consisting of a
representative from the office of the superintendent of schools,* the advisory
or cooperative board, the principal, the vocational director, an instructor at
the regional technical vocational center, and a representative of the sending
schools.
For the purpose of:
a. reviewing the justification of
program(s)
b. recommending either
continuation, discontinuation, or a modification of the program(s)
2. Implement the recommendations
of the study committee.
Decisions reached on the discontinuance of a course may be
appealed to the Bureau of Vocational Education by any administrative unit
responsible for a regional technical vocational center if it feels the
decisions of the study committee are unjust.
*The representative from the superintendent's office applies
only to the fourteen centers. In the eleven new regions this should be
substituted with a representative from the superintendent's advisory
committee.
(In the absence of compliance with number 1, the Bureau will
take whatever action is necessary to insure efficient and effective
programming).
G.
(Amended) Procedure for Creating New Administrative
Positions
When applying for approval of new positions other than
regular classroom instructors, the following criteria should be met. This
information should be submitted in conjunction with budget request:
1. Justification for new position.
2. Detailed description of duties and
responsibilities included in the position.
3. Proposed salary for this
position.
4. Qualifications of
candidate for new position.
The normal process for implementation is to:
1. Develop the concept including the four
considerations listed above.
2.
Obtain local program and budget approval.
3. Submit to the Bureau for State
approval.
H.
Minimum Time Requirements for Vocational Programs
It is normal procedure to require vocational programs to be
at least 45 to 55 minute periods in length five days per week for two years.
However, this requirement may be waived when it can be met in different blocks
of time. Requests for such waivers to the Bureau of Vocational Education should
be accompanied by a detailed rationale for the proposed
change.
