|
|
|
If you want to see democracy in action, look no further than Maine's school budget referendums. At least a dozen school districts rejected their budgets last month — we wanted to know why, and where they go from here.
Our education reporter Kristian Moravec talked to administrators about how they're navigating these tense negotiations and what's on the chopping block: supplies, extracurriculars, and in some cases, staff. She also asked about what they were hearing from residents concerned with rising taxes.
As one Aroostook County superintendent put it to her: “You have these communities here in Northern Maine — they’re an aging community, so a lot of people on fixed budgets, and not able to absorb those increased costs, especially when everything else is going up. I think, in the past, folks were okay with a slight tax increase because everything else was stable. But now with everything so unstable, it’s a cry for help.”
Also this week: Emmett Gartner takes us inside a coastal spruce research project; Rose Lundy looks at how hospitals are bracing for a charity care expansion; and our partners at Maine Focus investigate a wave of federal foreclosures.
— Stephanie |
|
|
|
|
|
What happens to school budgets when Mainers vote ‘no’?
At least a dozen school districts saw budget rejections this year. Here’s how they’re trying to move forward.
Read this story by Kristian Moravec |
 |
|
|
|
‘Gasoline on the fire’: Maine hospitals concerned about charity care expansion and Medicaid cuts: A new law expands who is eligible for charity care in Maine while federal Medicaid cuts are expected to push tens of thousands off public insurance. Read this story by Rose Lundy |
|
|
|
How will Maine’s coastal spruce forests handle climate change?: Researchers with the University of Maine are studying how best to manage coastal spruce forests under intensifying heat and drought. Read this story by Emmett Gartner |
|
|
|
July ‘radio hour’ pulls back the curtain on Maine’s child welfare system: The show offers a behind-the-scenes look at recent Maine Monitor reporting. Listen to this episode |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
The Maine Monitor welcomes audience, development hires
The hires will bolster the organization’s audience and development initiatives.
Read this story |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
The USDA wouldn’t let her give up her house when she couldn’t pay her mortgage. Instead, it crushed her with debt.
The USDA failed to follow its own guidance for a rural mortgage program, taking years to foreclose on delinquent loans. As a result, 55 Maine borrowers racked up, on average, $110,000 in additional debt before the agency moved to take the homes.
Read this story by Sawyer Loftus of the Bangor Daily News
Note: this story appears on The Maine Monitor's website as part of our collaboration with Maine Focus, the investigative team of the Bangor Daily News. Read more about the partnership
|
|
Have feedback or a correction to send to Stephanie McFeeters? Send it to her directly via email: stephanie@themainemonitor.org.
The Maine Monitor is a publication of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, an independent and nonpartisan nonprofit news organization that produces investigative journalism. We believe news is a public good and keep our news free to access. We have no paywall and do not charge for our newsletters. If you value the reporting we do for Maine, please consider making a donation! We cannot do this reporting without your support. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
