Matt @DrewetteCard follows the lead of the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee by dipping his toes into the 131st Legislative Session as the Committee has scheduled its first public hearings! Matt does a quick preview of the public hearings scheduled for January 31 and February 2, then does a quick check as the heat gets really turned up the first full week of February!
January 31 Public Hearing: 

 LD 98, HP0066An Act to Update the Special Education Laws - Rep. Michael Brennan of Portland
 LD 142, HP0088An Act to Fund Climate-related Service Work - Rep. Morgan Rielly of Westbrook
 LD 143, HP0089An Act to Support Rural Service Programming and Promote Volunteerism - Rep. Morgan Rielly of Westbrook

February 2 Public Hearing:

 LD 15, HP0019An Act to Amend the Law Governing the State Grant Program Administered by the Maine Historic Preservation Commission - Rep. Jan Dodge of Belfast
  LD 19, HP0023An Act to Authorize the National Institute of Funeral Service to Grant Associate Degrees - Rep. Victoria Doudera of Camden
  LD 129, SP0068Resolve, to Direct the University of Maine System to Study the Feasibility of Establishing a Public Allopathic Medical School in Penobscot County - Sen. Joseph Baldacci of Penobscot

Thanks to Playing for Laughs for sponsoring this episode!
Join Playing for Laughs at their "Failed Resolutions" comedy improv show on Saturday, January 28th at 7:30pm. $10 General Admission at the door. 
Go to https://www.theaterproject.com/p4l for more information.
Follow us:
Twitter: @DrewetteCard, @MaineEdMatters
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167: "Too hot in the hot tub..."

Matt straps in and buckles down as the 131st legislative session begins with the list of upcoming Bill Titles. 

166: "A dark sense of menace..."

Matt walks you through hows and whys of providing testimony on bills.
Thanks to our sponsor: Playing For Laughs!
www.facebook.com/playingforlaughs
www.instagram.com/playingforlaughs
www.theaterproject.com/p4l
Follow us:
www.facebook.com/maineeducationmatters
www.twitter.com/maineedmatters
www.twitter.com/drewettecard

How to Provide Testimony (SPECIAL EPISODE)

Sit back... relax... take a load off... . 
Matt hosts a very special and calming episode, while walking through Maine's Path of Legislation. It's going to be a busy session, so let's take a few minutes to breathe, to reflect, and to learn how a bill is created and becomes a law in Maine. Call this a bit of calm before the incoming storm.
Read Maine's Path of Legislation here: https://legislature.maine.gov/house/house/Documents/PathofLegislation
Follow us:
Twitter @MaineEdMatters, @DrewetteCard
Facebook: facebook.com/maineeducationmatters

Maine's Path of Legislation (SPECIAL EPISODE)

It's Season 7!
Maine Education Matters returns for Season 7 with some new changes and hopes for what the future brings. 
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/maineedmatters
Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/maineeducationmatters
Follow Matt on Twitter: twitter.com/DrewetteCard

163: "Six seasons and a movie"

Matt & Courtney wrap up the 130th Legislative Session with a review of bills that were signed into law, vetoed, or died. Thanks for listening this season! We'll be back at some point, but we dont know because that would require planning and planning #soundslikework. #onbrand We have also linked the list of horrific bills around the country that limit the ways teachers and students learn. Boo to all of them.

162: "How is this still a thing?"

Matt & Courtney discuss recent EDU bills that have been signed into law! Plus: we learned about something called a "Consent Calendar" and it's awesomesauce.

161. "Oh, I'm looking at the wrong bill!"

Matt & Courtney talk about the Child Development Services (CDS) bill that went before the Ed committee this week.

160. "We're an OK podcast."

159. I don't like the word "moist".

Matt and Courtney continue to try and wrap up the 130th special session but the Ed Committee keeps having other plans! They review A public hearing (only one!), and a few worksessions; talk about Supplemental Budgets (zzzzzzz), and more. It's a short episode this week... and you're welcome!

158. "Rome was built in an hour an a half."

Matt & Courtney review the work sessions from March 2-3, 2022, preview the final(?) Public Hearing and Work Sessions for the week of March 7, and do their best to simply be a boat in the water, and let the tides take them wherever they may go.

157: "I used to grade using a dartboard."

Matt & Courtney review the work sessions and public hearings from February 22 and 24, and preview the (supposed) final week of Ed Committee work.

156. "Is this the one where vaccinations came up?"

Matt & Courtney review the Work Sessions from February 15 & 17, discuss the Public Hearing from the Criminal Justice committee, preview the February 22 public hearing, and do a stellar job of providing highly mediocre analysis. #onbrandThere was a little Max Headroom in the recording and we apologize for the throwback to the 80s. Also, Matt Frewer is awesome.

155. "A horrible Jenga tower of nonsense."

Matt & Courtney host a panel of education rockstars to discuss the elephant that's in the education room: COVID fatigue. We talk with Kelsey Stoyanova (2022 Maine Teacher of the Year), Chris Howell (2022 Maine Superintendent of the Year), Carrie Woodcock (Executive Director of the Maine Parent Federation), and Bear Shea (MDOE Mental Health Specialist and Licensed Clinical Social Worker) about how COVID is impacting the social, mental, emotional, and physical lives of everyone in education, from administrators, to teachers, to parents... everyone... and the different ways in which COVID is fatiguing everyone. It's an empathy-fueled conversation, and one that needs to be had across the state and beyond.

153. BONUS Ep! COVID Fatigue is Really Really Real

Matt and Courtney review the public hearings from February 8-9, 2022, preview the work sessions for Feb 15-16, and highlight a non-Ed committee bill that has TONS to do with educators. Also: "The Rock", jazz, and logic cards!

154. "Lotta scat in this last week."

Matt & Courtney review the worksessions from Feb 3-4, and preview the public hearings for Feb 8-9. Plus: Matt and Courtney's Hogwarts Houses revealed!

152. "There are competing groundhogs."

Matt & Courtney cover the Public Hearings and Work Sessions from the week of January 24-28, preview the upcoming work sessions on Feb 1 & 2, and ask the listeners to guess which Hogwarts House Matt and Courtney are in! Go to @MaineEdMatters on Twitter and vote!

151. "It's such a superficial and a complete misunderstanding of... which is kind of ironic.... of the word empathy."

Matt (@DrewetteCard) & Courtney (@BelolanC) review the work sessions from Jan 19-20, and preview upcoming public hearings on Jan 25.

150: "One day, Matt and I will be able to secure our graduate transcripts."

Matt (@DrewetteCard) and NEW COHOST Courtney (@BelolanC; @PLearnMC) welcome everyone back for the Part Deux of the 130th Legislative Session! We welcome our new cohost, talk about recent public hearings, and raise an uncomfortable question about the current relationship between Maine Education Matters and Personalized Learning with Matt & Courtney. Thanks for downloading, subscribing, listening, and following!

149: New session, new co-host

We're back in 2022! The Maine Legislative Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs has reconvened and started up the second session of the 130th Legislative Session. Today's episode is a short "welcome back," with a teaser for an upcoming BIG ANNOUNCEMENT and addition to the MEM team! Thanks for subscribing and listening!

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