Updated: 11:11 PM EDT May 5, 2021 Terry Stackhouse In an emergency meeting Wednesday night, the Lewiston School Committee approved a new budget proposal, one day after its initial offer was rejected by the city council. The decision came in an 8-1 vote after multiple committee members expressed frustration with the council’s decision not to approve their $95.7 million spending plan. In a Tuesday night meeting, members of the city council stated concern with the budget’s impact on the municipal tax rate and a desire to keep the rate below $30 for every $1,000 of assessed property value. Members of the school committee, including Kiernan Majerus-Collins, argue the assessment system is flawed because the city has not done a reevaluation since 1988. Majerus-Collins was the lone no vote, saying he wanted the committee to be more “confrontational” with the council. “This school committee desperately wants to do more for our students than this short-sighte
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In an April 27 Sun Journal article pertaining to further cuts to the school budget, Lewiston School Committee member Ron Potvin is quoted as saying “We are the third-largest municipality in the state.”
He should Google both Lewiston, Maine, and Bangor Maine. I did, and found that Lewiston has a population of 35,944. Then I opened the Bangor site, which showed that Bangor has a population of 31,997. Clearly, Lewiston is the second-largest city in Maine.
Richard Grandmaison, Lewiston
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In addition, the mayor said the panel should “make recommendations to city and school elected officials and staff on policies, practices and procedural changes that will ensure measurable reductions in poverty in Lewiston.”
Cayer said the city and schools spend millions of dollars annually to reduce the symptoms of poverty. Reducing it, he has often said, would help everybody.
“Everyone in this community, whether a CEO making six figures or a family barely getting by, brings value to our community, and we are seeking a collaborative effort to reduce poverty,” he said in a prepared statement. “Building a community that allows every member to thrive is what improves our well-being.”
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LEWISTON The Lewiston School Committee voted unanimously to add the Jewish holidays Rosh Hashanah (Sept. 7) and Yom Kippur (Sept. 16) to the district’s calendar as days off, with those days to be added at the end of the year.
In making the motion, member Kiernan Majerus-Collins said these holidays are the two most sacred for the Jewish community, which has for most of history been a minority around the world.
“This will allow the rest of the students to see that Judaism is a religion worthy of respect,” he said.
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Maine school district bans expulsions for elementary students
School leaders in Lewiston say the policy change is a step toward equity Share Updated: 8:14 AM EDT Mar 18, 2021
Maine school district bans expulsions for elementary students
School leaders in Lewiston say the policy change is a step toward equity Share Updated: 8:14 AM EDT Mar 18, 2021
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Show Transcript ROSS - HOW IS THIS POLICY EXPECTED TO IMPACT STUDENTS LONG-TERM? THIS CHANGE WILL GO INTO EFFECT THIS FALL. IT S SUPPORTERS SAY IT S A SETEP FORWARD IN STOPPING THE SO- CALLED SCHOOL- TO-PRISON PIPELINE. 00:04:22:08 KIERNAN MAJERUS-COLLINS OUR KIDS ARE MORE THAN THE WORST THING THEY VE EVER DONE. ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN LEWISTON - TAKING A NEW APPROACH FOR STUDENT DISCIPLINE. THE SCHOOL BOARD - VOTING TO DO AWAY WITH EXPULSIONS. 00:04:26:11 KIERNAN MAJERUS-COLLINS I THINK THAT PUNISHMENTS ARE NECESSARY BUT THEY ALSO NEED TO BE PROPORTIO