Miguel Cardona, the U.S. Secretary of Education, will be in Maine on Monday for a series of meetings and activities.
A meeting with RSU 21 school bus drivers is scheduled for noon in Kennebunk, where he will discuss the current national shortage of school bus drivers and how Maine has worked to alleviate that shortfall in part by using resources made available under the American Rescue Plan.
According to RSU 21’s superintendent, Dr. Terri Cooper, the visit by the nation’s top education official would be an honor.
Local taxpayers will not be drained by the purchase of new school buses, thanks to a federal grant.
All full-time employees in the district will receive $500 bonuses as a result of federal money.
RSU 21’s new summer boost program for kids, a new website, a new human resources management system, and the hire of additional allied arts instructors and an educational recovery officer were also paid for by other government funds.
A roundtable conversation with students at York County Community College in Wells, including those who are also taking community college programs will follow Cardona’s meeting with bus drivers.
They’ll talk about their own experiences and how to guarantee that colleges and universities are providing students with solid employment options.
For the final two years of high school, the president’s proposed budget includes a $200 million investment in Career-Connected High Schools, an initiative that would support competitive grants to partnerships of local educational agencies with institutions of higher education (including community colleges), as well as employers, to support early enrollment in postsecondary and career-related coursework; work-based learning opportunities; and academic and career-related instruction.
