Artist: Kyla White / Senior at Livermore Falls High School

1. Artist: Kyla White / Senior at Livermore Falls High School

2. Meeting Outcomes • To share details about one model of regional collaboration that is working in Western Maine. • Celebrate what we have learned, recognize we have much more to learn and welcome the opportunity to “be at the table” to inform future growth in Maine.

3. Agenda ØWelcome – Introductions/Review Agenda/Materials/Questions ØOverview/History/Who We Are and How We Came To Be. ØCurrent Trends and Initiatives ØChallenges to Date ØWe Want You to Know… ØQ & A ØWrap Up

4. Mission To build a self-sustaining regional collaborative that meets the needs of the organization while also meeting the needs of the individual members. Working together WMEC members, businesses and community partners strive to improve student performance through effective and efficient use of human, fiscal and technological resources. Western Maine Educational Collaborative

5. History • 2 year process • Many struggles and questions • 14 systems expressed interest • 11 systems joined in a collaborative initiative • End of year 2 things began to come together

6. Commitments • Major commitment of time and resources ($) (State support) • Important to have someone who has experience with collaboratives and is willing to lead the charge • Willingness to work together

7. Key Players • School Board Members • Superintendents • Organizational Structure • By laws • Inter-local Agreements • Organizational Consent of the Members • Futures Plan

8. Governance • Governance Structure • Executive Committee • President • Vice President • Secretary • Treasure • Executive Director • Governing Board • Board Members • Superintendents • Assistant Superintendents • Each system one vote

9. Cost Sharing • $2 per student membership fee • MDOE “Efficient Delivery of Ed. Services” Grant • Partnerships • UMF • Business “Partners” • Small % associated with each initiative assessed to districts participating in the initiative.

10. Recent Reportswww.wmecinc.org Charting Maine’s Future: An Action Plan for Promoting Sustainable Prosperity and Quality Places—Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program (Fall 2006) Fiscal Analysis of the Report of Select Panel on Revisioning Education in Maine Schools – Center for Education Policy, Applied Research and Evaluation; University of Southern Maine (August 2006) A CASE for COOPERATION: Making Connections to Improve Education for All Maine Students – Maine Children’s Alliance (Fall 2006 Driving More Money into the Classroom: The Promise of Shared Services- Deloitte Research Study (2006)

11. Trends and Patterns • There is a need to reduce and streamline K-12 administrative expenditures but this must be accomplished in concert with increased investments and support to appropriately fund efforts. They must go hand-in-hand.  • There must be support for learning acquired through the establishment of models, pilots, etc (for an array of components) • Regionalization/Collaboration/Shared Services are supported for a variety of structures and components.

12. Trends and Patterns Continued • There is a shared belief that resources are being used inefficiently. • There is a need for the State to play a leadership role in advocating for shared services.  • Issues related to school construction continue to arise. • Changing demographics are leading to both opportunities and anxiety.

13. Sample WMEC Initiatives • Alternative Education • Grades 3-8 Literacy • Gifted and Talented Endorsements • Special Education Day Treatment Program • EBID

14. WEB HOME PAGE

15. Driving More Money into the Classroom: The Promise of Shared Services - A Deloitte Research Study http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/cda/doc/content/DTT_DR_SS_Education _Nov05%281%29.pdf Charting Maine's Future: "An Action Plan for Promoting Sustainable Prosperity and Quality Places" A report by the Brookings Institute http://www.brookings.edu/metro/pubs/maine.pdf . A Case for Cooperation: Making Connections to Improve Education for All Maine Students (PDF format) - Read Document Fiscal Analysis of the Report of the Select panel on Revisioning Education in Maine: http://www.usm.maine.edu/cepare/pdf/Costing_out_the_Select_Panel_on_RevisioningEd_in_Maine_Report.pdf www.wmecinc.org RESOURCES PAGE

16. Establishing “trouble free” lines of communication at all levels. Balancing the needs of individual members with those of the Collaborative. Developing a sense of ownership among so many owners in the Collaborative. Honoring past practice within the districts while promoting new and collaborative ones. Connecting resources – people, materials, technology, etc. Recognizing that all member districts are at different stages of readiness – addressing the MLRs, technology, staff development, etc. Challenges

17. Goal of Today’s Presentation • Not to discuss the various consolidation proposals currently before you • It is to educate each of you regarding our work to date • Approx. three years ago the Governor planned to create regional collaboratives and to dedicate funds to regionalization efforts – we began our work at that time.

18. Our Model • Larger group of like-minded districts for leverage purposes • Smaller group or cluster for delivery purposes • Use of a partnership mentality – give to get • Our Model is ours – not the be all or end all • May not work for others/we may encounter future issues with ours

19. Rhetoric Regarding the Encouragement of Collaboratives • All work to date is not done by “loose networks”. • Not everything must be mandated. • Further encouragement to develop collaboratives would be of great help.

20. Deloitte Research Conclusion “As school board officials, superintendents and state legislators consider shared services, they will soon discover that politics is by far their greatest challenge: good old fashioned turf protection, more than anything else, has caused schools to move more slowly to shared services than the private sector. The processes are obviously important. The technology has to work. The design has to fit local circumstances. Due attention must be paid to change management. But it is usually policy issues, or politics, that will make or break shared services.”