June 14, 2017, Ellsworth (ME) American: Bucksport area residents approve increased RSU 25 budget http://www.ellsworthamerican.com/maine-news/education-news/bucksport-area-residents-approve-increased-rsu-25-budget/
Voters from Bucksport, Verona Island, Orland and Prospect on Tuesday approved the 2017-2018 Regional School Unit 25 (RSU 25) budget, which the RSU 25 Board had been working on for months.
The $14,338,915 budget is a 2.63 percent increase over last year’s budget. Voters from each of the RSU 25 towns gave the budget their preliminary approval at last month’s budget meeting at the Bucksport Middle School. …
Boothby said the special education budget also has increased along with the number of students who receive special services. He said that number is 240 students, or 22 percent of the student body. The total student population is up this year at 1,080.
Childhood Lost
Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).
Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.