“Pay It Forward” Is Not a Solution to Maine’s College Affordability Problem

  A good education, including a college degree, is the path to good jobs and economic security for Mainers and their families, especially the working poor. Over […]

Education Funding Falters in Maine, Has Serious Repercussions

Maine cuts to school funding since the start of the recession are among the largest in the nation, and the deepest in New England, according to a […]

Maine K-12 Education Funding Remains Well Below Pre-Recession Levels

Testimony: Pay If Forward Raises Concerns for Low-income and Working Adult Students

MECEP is particularly concerned with the impact of college affordability proposals on low-income and working adult students. Pay It Forward raises a number of concerns. MECEP commends the […]

Emery Community Arts Center: A Case Study

The case study examines the successes and challenges that university organizers faced in planning and constructing a community arts center in Farmington and assesses whether an arts center […]

Higher Education Pays Dividends to Taxpayers, Too

Mainers with college degrees earn more over their lifetime than Mainers without them, but all Maine taxpayers share in the benefits as well, according to new estimates […]

Testimony at Hearing on LD 1842: An Act To Amend the Laws Governing the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program

While I oppose the elimination of the TANF good cause provision, I am especially concerned by the proposed elimination of the Parents as Scholars (PAS) program.  PAS […]

State Policies Are Failing Maine's Working Moms

In 2012, women headed one of every three low-income working families in Maine, according to a new report released today by the Working Poor Families Project. These […]

Testimony at Hearings on LD 1581: An Act to Increase Access to Quality Child Care and LD 1682: An Act to Preserve Head Start and Child Care Services

Access to high quality early education and care is an economic imperative. Arthur MacEwan, an economist at the University of Massachusetts, summarizes the economic case in a […]

Testimony at Hearing on L.D. 1431, An Act To Support School Nutrition and Expand the Local Foods Economy

We all know that buying local is good. It keeps dollars in the local economy rather than having that money leave the state.   In 2011, MECEP […]