The commission has sued 7 districts that adopted policies aligning with a federal executive order that says transgender girls cannot compete on teams aligned with their gender identity, in defiance of state law.
Riley Board
Staff Writer
Riley covers education for the Press Herald. Before moving to Portland, she spent two years in Kenai, Alaska, reporting on local government, schools and natural resources for the public radio station KDLL as part of the Report for America program. Riley originally hails from Sarasota, Florida, and is a graduate of Middlebury College in Vermont, where she served as the editor-in-chief of the college’s student newspaper, The Campus. She has interned at the Burlington Free Press, and at the Smithsonian Institution’s Folklife Magazine in Washington, D.C. Outside of work, Riley is passionate about roller skating, cooking and her cat, Edgar.
Posted inMaine, News, Schools and Education
Maine Community College System president stepping down next year
David Daigler, who has led the system since 2019, will leave at the end of the 2026-27 academic year.
advertisement
Posted inMaine, News, Politics, Schools and Education
Maine judge: Secretary of state was right to invalidate trans ballot referendum
Shenna Bellows said last month the initiative could not appear on the November ballot because the petition fell short of the number of required signatures by about 500. A Superior Court judge on Thursday agreed, but the petitioners plan to appeal.
Posted inCommunity, News
Thornton Academy, Saco school department at odds over contract
The headmaster of Thornton, a private school that also serves public students from Saco, said that relationship is at risk of ending as the current contract comes to an end. The department said that isn’t true.
Posted inMaine, News, Politics, Schools and Education
Maine transgender sports referendum back in court after invalidation
The group behind the question is asking that it be restored to the November ballot, while the secretary of state wants the court to affirm her conclusion that the petition fell more than 500 signatures short.
Posted inCommunity, Elections, News, Politics, Schools and Education
Portland overwhelmingly approves $179.3M school budget
The teachers union initially opposed the budget, but reversed course last week when the district committed to adding back several ed tech positions.
Posted inCommunity, News, Politics, Schools and Education
Gorham voters getting texts urging them to check AI-generated budget website
It’s not clear who is behind the site, which claims to be an ‘independent analysis of public records’ and identifies ‘red flags’ in the district’s proposed school budget.
Posted inHealth, Maine, News, Schools and Education
UMaine launching 2 doctoral nursing programs
The Ph.D. in Nursing and Doctor of Nurse Practice degrees are meant to address the state’s shortage of advance practice nurses.
Posted inMaine, News, Schools and Education
Education groups want 70% of Mainers to have post-high school education or training by 2035
A coalition of colleges, education advocacy groups and business leaders is hoping to raise the rate of working Mainers with college credentials from 55% to 70% in less than a decade.
Posted inMaine, News, Schools and Education
Get to know Maine’s 2026 Grads to Watch
These 12 graduating seniors aren’t waiting until they receive their diplomas to start making a difference. We hope you enjoy learning their stories.