Resolve, To Establish the Maine Summer Success Program

Sec. 1. Department of Education to establish the Maine Summer Success Program. Resolved: That the Department of Education shall develop and establish the Maine Summer Success Program, using traditional and alternative teaching methods, to ensure that every secondary student has access to a high-quality extended school program. The department shall encourage school districts to implement the Maine Summer Success Program in order to address the needs of children who fail to meet grade-level proficiency standards. In developing this program, the department shall:

1. Put into place at the end of the freshman year for all Maine public secondary school students the use of a suite of tests that determines a student’s knowledge in mathematics, reading and writing with the goal of preparing the student to enroll in college-level courses. If a student is not at the correct grade level based on the results of the tests, the student is eligible to be part of the Maine Summer Success Program, a district-based summer school program that offers students the opportunity of alternative or online coursework; and

2. Explore the use of social impact bonds to fund the Maine Summer Success Program. For the purpose of this resolve, "social impact bond" means a performance-based bond that operates over a fixed period of time in which repayment to an investor is contingent upon the achievement of a desired social outcome. When funds are secured, the Department of Education, through a grant application process, shall provide funding to cover 90% of the costs of extended school year programs in districts with greater than 50% student participation in the free and reduced lunch rate program. Any remaining available funds must be provided to districts with greater than 35% free and reduced lunch participation rates; and be it further

Sec. 2. Report. Resolved: That the Department of Education shall report on its development of the Maine Summer Success Program under section 1 to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs by December 2, 2015. The Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs may submit a bill related to this report to the Second Regular Session of the 127th Legislature.

SUMMARY

This resolve directs the Department of Education to develop the Maine Summer Success Program, which would use the results of a series of tests in order to identify students who are not achieving their grade levels of competence and to see who would benefit from attendance at such a program. The department is directed to explore the use of social impact bonds to fund the program. The department is to report its development plan to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs by December 2, 2015.