What is the Maine Citizens' Assembly on Education Priorities?
It is a structured public deliberation that brings together a representative group of Maine residents from all 16 counties to learn about the state's education landscape, deliberate across differences, and identify shared education priorities. It is designed to generate informed, policy-relevant public judgment for legislative, executive, and local decision-makers. USM's CEPARE organizes it in partnership with USM's MEPRI.
Who are the delegates and how were they chosen?
64 Maine residents aged 16 and older, selected to reflect the state's diversity. They were chosen from a volunteer pool using stratified random selection for balance across rural and urban communities, age, educational attainment, gender, race and ethnicity, and political leaning. Where needed, CEPARE reached out to community organizations to support targeted recruitment.
What role do elected leaders play?
A bipartisan Legislative Strategy Team led by Rep. Holly Sargent — with Reps. Kim Haggan, Sheila Lyman, and Dan Sayre — connects the Assembly's recommendations to the appropriate legislative committees and connects political and content experts to the process. They've committed to take the priorities into focused strategy work this fall. Gubernatorial candidates will be invited to respond in September 2026.
What role do stakeholder and community organizations play?
Invited organizations comprise USM's MEPRI Steering Committee plus several statewide education-focused groups. They contribute educational materials and take part in dialogue that informs delegates — but not in the delegates' deliberations or decisions.
How is balance across perspectives supported?
Through curated panels with moderation guidelines and learning materials vetted for accessibility and for educational rather than advocacy intent. The goal is to expose delegates to a genuine range of concerns and perspectives on Maine education.
How is deliberative technology used?
The platform, Comhairle, supports structured engagement, documentation, organized feedback, and synthesis at defined points. It is not used for open-ended advocacy or real-time debate, and does not let outside organizations into delegate deliberations or decision-making.
Who do we contact with questions?
Email usm.cepare@maine.edu.