Maine State Board of Education
Maine State Board of Education
Statewide education governance, appointments, and a reviewed record of Board and committee business.
Who governs Maine education?
The official roster provides nine voting seats appointed by the Governor to staggered five-year terms and two nonvoting student members appointed for two-year terms. The Board selects its chair and vice chair; no public member election is involved.
Governor-appointed voting membership
Nine voting seats have staggered five-year appointments. The current directory lists nine voting members. Michael Thurston’s seat number and term fields are blank, so those details remain unverified.
Student members participate without voting
Two student members serve nonvoting two-year terms under the Board’s appointment process.
Board selects its chair and vice chair
The Board elects its officers internally. June 11, 2026 minutes record Paulette Bonneau as chair and Thomas Keller as vice chair for the July 2026–June 2027 term.
Committees handle distinct statewide work
The record covers Career and Technical Education, Certification and Higher Education, School Construction, Legislative Action, and student committees; committee recommendations are reported separately from full-Board decisions.
State and local shares fund the recommended school model
On January20,2026, the Board certified a recommended2026–27 funding level under the Essential Programs and Services model: $1.579billion in state General Purpose Aid and $1.292billion in local contributions. This is a funding recommendation, not a final appropriation or a record of actual spending.
Where the district stands
Major projects
Major capital school construction rulemaking
Proposed; comment period listed in committee agenda; final adoption not locatedA School Construction Committee agenda lists a new public comment period for State Board Chapter61rules for major capital school construction. The available reviewed records do not establish that the proposal was adopted as a final rule.
- Publication and comment period start listed in committee agenda
- Public hearing listed in committee agenda
- Comment period end listed in committee agenda
Funding
The agenda does not identify the cost or funding source of the rulemaking process.
Recent news
Identity and governance details are based on the Maine Department of Education’s official Board and member pages. The document count reflects the exact official source objects in the review ledger; summaries distinguish Board actions from committee recommendations, agenda plans, statutory requirements, and Maine DOE guidance.
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