Staff Data Entry and Reporting

NEO Staff Guides

What is NEO Staff?

Staff

Staff data for Maine schools are located in the MDOE application called NEO Staff.

What is NEO Staff?

The NEO Staff system is an application to record data on all staff members. NEO Staff uses a hierarchy data entry methodology by providing only the necessary options to an end-user for completing the task at hand. Data entered in NEO Staff is used for both EPS and Certification needs as well as providing reports as needed for federal programs. The NEO Staff System is NOT a personnel system. Your district has one of those already. There is no association with the NEO Staff data and the data Maine PERS retirement system may collect. NEO Staff simply lists staff members who are actively employed at any moment in time during a school year.

Who needs to be entered into NEO Staff?

All staff persons employed by the school administrative unit must be entered into NEO Staff. In addition, all contractors employed in a position required for EPS reporting and/or in a position with sustained direct unsupervised access to students must be entered into NEO Staff.

Include contracted staff for work that is considered part of the regular operations.

Include individuals who contract directly with a school district; this is not limited to cases in which the individual receives retirement and other benefits from the district or state. Examples may include bus drivers, school nurses, psychologists, physical therapists. Include staff employed by another entity that is contracted to provide work that can be considered part of the district’s regular operations. These staff work within the district but are employees of the entity with which the district contracts. The district does not pay retirement or other benefits. Examples may include staff of the school; school security personnel provided by a private firm; or charter school teachers who are employees of a charter school operator.

 

If you already have a NEO account but have either forgotten your username or password, call the MEDMS Helpdesk and we can reset your password. If you enter the wrong password three or more times, you will be locked out of the system and the Helpdesk will also have to unblock your account.

Do not include employees of contractors who provide a non-regular service; these are staff furnished by the contractor, on- or off-site, to provide the service. Examples may include carpenters, electricians, etc. working for a firm hired to refurbish a school building, or cooks and truck drivers who prepare and deliver meals once a week to schools under a contract with a food-service firm.

The distinction between staff reported and not reported is whether the service is part of the district’s regular operation or if it is a non-regular service. For example, if a district contracts with a company for a school bus driving service (where the buses are used regularly), the drivers should be reported. If a district contracts with a company for lunchroom services onsite, the food servers who serve the students on daily basis should be reported as well.

Employees of a construction company hired to build an addition to the school should not be reported.

How do I log into NEO Staff?

Go to the following URL:
https://neo.maine.gov/DOE/NEO/Accounts/Account/Login

Username most likely is your email address Password would have been something you created.

I can’t Log in to NEO Staff?

If you have never logged into NEO before, or if you already have a NEO account but just need access to an additional module or increased security role in an existing module, your Superintendent will first need to submit a completed NEO Access Request Form. In order to be granted access the requestor must ensure their district has entered them into NEO Staff. 

 

Creating a Long-Term Substitute and how to return original teacher

Creating a Long-Term Substitute and how to return original teacher

Designating and Editing District Roles

Designating and Editing District Roles

NEO Staff Field Definitions

Fields marked with a red asterisk are required in order to save the record as an active record. Only the following fields are required to save the record into a “Pending Status”. Pending status records do not count for reporting and will be deleted [after a certain period]: Position Start Date, SAU/District, Position, and School (if position selected requires a school).

Who needs to be entered into NEO Staff?

All staff persons employed by the school administrative unit must be entered into NEO Staff. In addition, all contractors employed in a position required for EPS reporting and/or with sustained direct unsupervised access to students must be entered into NEO Staff.

Fields From The Staff Personal Screen

Note: In order to access any staff person’s personal data, the user accessing the screen much know the complete 9-digit SSN for the selected staff person. This ensures that only authorized users will be able to modify this information. Only the last 4 digits are ever displayed.

Staff ID – This is the unique identification number assigned to each staff person. If the staff person was previously in MEDMS, that same Staff ID will be used. If new to NEO, a new unique number will be created automatically. 

Prefix – these are a list of commonly used name prefixes which may or may not be selected. This field is optional.

First Name – this is the legal first name of the staff person. Do not use nick names in this field. This is a required field. If a staff person’s first name is changed legally, you may edit this field.

Middle Name – Enter the legal middle name of the staff person. It is preferred that you enter the whole middle name and not just the first initial of the middle name. This is an optional field and is not required.

Last Name – this is the legal last name of the staff person. Do not add suffixes in this field. This is a

required field. If a staff person’s last name is changed legally, you may edit this field.

Suffix – these are a list of commonly used name suffixes which may or may not be selected.  Do not add suffix data in the last name field. This field is optional.

Date of Birth – enter the date of birth of the staff person using the following format ‘mm/dd/yyyy’. Staff personnel must be at least 15 years of age in order for the record to be saved. This is a required field.

Gender – select the appropriate gender for the staff person. This is a required field.

SSN – For new staff records to be created, the 9-digit SSN must be entered. Validation is in place so that a SSN must be unique. The record will not be able to be saved if the SSN entered already exists in NEO Staff. For updating existing staff, only the last 4 digits are displayed however, in order to continue to add a position assignment, all 9-digits must be entered.

Highest Degree Earned – enter the highest degree earned by the staff person. See Appendix C for a list of options. This is a required field.

Fields From The Staff Assignment Screen

Assignment Status Filter -  Status values:

•       Active: The staff member is  currently working at this assignment

•       Inactive: The assignment is scheduled to start at a date in the future

•       Pending: The assignment is incomplete and awaiting additional data entry

•       Ended: The assignment has been ended

Total FTE - The Total FTE (Full Time Equivalent) is the total of all FTE values for all Active assignments for a staff member regardless of pay type or position. This number is intended for reference purposes only when managing assignments and is not used to report FTE for funding purposes. There is no limit on Total FTE.

EPS FTE - EPS (Essential Programs and Services) FTE (Full Time Equivalent) is the total of all EPS reported positions for all active assignments, minus any assignments paid with Stipend, or otherwise excluded from EPS reporting. This value can never exceed 1.0. Stipend paid employees are not included in EPS calculations. A list of EPS positions can be found in Appendix A.

Position Start Date – [required Field] start date must be entered in the following format: mm/dd/yyyy. The start date and end date can be in the future however it must be within the dates of the current school year.

SAU/District – [required Field] if you have access to the staff for more than one school administrative unit, you need to select a district from this dropdown. If you have access to only one district that is the only choice you will see. School Unions are not allowed but rather enter the name of the municipal school district. For AOS’s, staff are allowed to be entered at the AOS level is 

Position – this is the official list of staff positions. See Appendix A for complete list. Select a position from this list for this assignment. If you feel there needs to be a position added to this that is not listed, please contact the Helpdesk. Some positions in this list require a school to be selected while others do not. In addition, some may be assigned to a school but may not have to be assigned to a school. 

Years of Experience in this Position – This is the number of years this person has worked in this type of position (i.e., Teacher, Ed Tech, Administrative Professional, Principal, etc.) including all experience in public and private schools in or out of the State of Maine. This field will auto increase by one each year going forward. This is a required field.

W2 employee or a contractor – Select if you are an employee of the school administrative unit (W2 employee) or if you are employed as a contractor directly or indirectly with the school administrative unit. This is a required field.

District or School Level position – this question only appears if the position selected could be considered a school level or a district level position. If this field is visible, it is a required field. If “school level” is selected, a school must be chosen from the school dropdown list. Otherwise, only the district is needed. 

School – only required if the position selected requires a school to be assigned to that position. This list is dependent as to what is selected for the SAU/District field.

Education Level – only appears and is required if Classroom Teacher is selected for a position. Select “Academic Instruction” for regular education instruction or “Career Technical Education” for CTE instruction.

Subject Matter- only appears and is required if Classroom Teacher is selected for a position. See Appendix D  for a list of possible Subject Matters.

Courses/Grades - only appears and is required if Classroom Teacher is selected for a position. The list of courses available (Appendix E  for academic classes or Appendix F for CTE courses) is predicated upon what is selected for Subject Matter. For each course selected, one or more grades must also be selected. Select all grades which the Classroom Teacher will be teaching for this assignment. Grades selected must fall in the approved grade span allowed for the school selected.

Salary/Hourly or Stipend – select if this assignment is being paid by a salary or a stipend. This is a required field.

Salary or Stipend amount – This is the amount paid to the staff member for this assignment. If the staff member works multiple assignments, this amount would be that portion of the person’s total pay that is designated for this assignment. This is a required field.

FTE for position – select the Full Time Equivalent (FTE) portion for this assignment. You must select from the dropdown list between 0.0 through 1.0. Note that EPS positions cannot be 0.0. Also, the total EPS FTE cannot exceed 1.0 for any one staff person during any given school year. This is a required field. For a list of EPS Positions, see Appendix A.

Federal Funded position – If this assignment or portion of this assignment is federally funded, select “YES”, otherwise, select “No”. This is a required field.

Funding Source for position – only appears and is required if “Yes” was selected under Federal Funded Position and must select either Title I, Title II, Title III, Title IV-b, Title VI, Perkins (CTE),  I.D.E.A., CRF, and ESSER. For a description of these federal funding sources, see Appendix B.

Educational Category – This is a required field. Select the appropriate Education Category. If none are applicable, select “Not Applicable”.

Contact Email – please enter the work email address for this assignment. Do not enter personal email addresses. This is a required field for some positions and an optional field for others. For a list of positions, the email address is required, see Appendix A.

Contact Phone - please enter the work phone number for this assignment (direct phone preferably). Do not enter personal phone numbers. This is a required field for some positions and an optional field for others. For a list of positions, the phone number is required, see Appendix A.

Phone extension or option # - If there is no direct phone number for this assignment, enter the extension or option number needed to reach this staff person (if applicable).

Fax – please enter the fax number including area code this assignment uses (if applicable).

NEO Staff User Manual

NEO Staff User Manual

What impacts Education Categories

Federal Funding Assignments impacting Education Category

Title I Disadvantaged – Only available selection is Not Applicable

Title I Other - Only available selection is Not Applicable

Title II – Only available selection is Not Applicable

Title III – Only available selection is Not Applicable

Title IVb – Only available selection is Not Applicable

Title VI – Only available selection is Not Applicable

I.D.E.A. – Only available options are I.D.E.A. – C.E.I.S. or Special Education

Perkins(CTE) – Only available options are Not Applicable or CTE

Other Federal Funding – Options available are Not Applicable, CTE, I.D.E.A. – C.E.I.S., or Special Education

Positions impacting Education Category

Special Education Teacher – Only available options are I.D.E.A. – C.E.I.S. or Special Education

School/Education Level impacting Education Category

Any CTE Region or Center School – Default selection to CTE, but user can change it

Appendix A - Position Matrix

Appendix A - Position Matrix

Appendix B - Federal Funded Program Descriptions

Title I - Disadvantaged – Improving the academic achievement of the disadvantaged. The purpose of this title is to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging State academic achievement standards and state academic assessments through targeted supplemental instruction and schoolwide support.

Title I – Other – 

  • Title I, Part D - The purpose of this part is to improve educational and transitional services for children and youth in local and State institutions for neglected or delinquent children and youth so that such children and youth have the opportunity to meet the same challenging State academic content standards and challenging State student academic achievement standards that all children in the State are expected to meet.
  • Program Improvement Funds.  The purpose of these funds is to support school improvement efforts through professional development which can include instructional coaches.
  • School Improvement Grants (SIG). - The purpose of the School Improvement Grant (SIG) program is to provide funding which supports Maine’s persistently lowest-achieving Title I schools, identified as Priority status under Maine’s approved ESEA Accountability plan.  Schools awarded competitive grant funding under this program demonstrate the greatest need for funds and the strongest commitment to use the funds in a way that substantially raises the achievement of their students.  SIG funds can be used to support the increased academic performance of students by providing additional learning opportunities (extended day/year programs), more effective teachers (professional development, teacher incentives) and additional classroom supports (staffing, materials, books).
  • Title I, Part D - The purpose of this part is to improve educational and transitional services for children and youth in local and State institutions for neglected or delinquent children and youth so that such children and youth have the opportunity to meet the same challenging State academic content standards and challenging State student academic achievement standards that all children in the State are expected to meet.

Title II – Preparing, training, and recruiting High Quality teachers and principals. The purpose of this title is to provide grants to State educational agencies, local educational agencies, State agencies for higher education, and eligible partnerships in order to increase student academic achievement through strategies such as class size reduction, improving teacher and principal quality, and increasing the number of highly qualified teachers in the classroom and highly qualified principals and assistant principals in schools; and hold local educational agencies and schools accountable for improvements in student academic achievement.

Title III – Language instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant students. LEAs are expected to use Title III funding to create or further develop language instruction courses that help LEP students meet academic standards. The LEAs and SEAs who receive Title III funding are responsible for the yearly progress of their students with respect to development of language proficiency as well as meeting their grade-level academic standards. LEP students are measured against annual development objectives in order to receive funding. 

Title IV-B - Better known as the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program, this program supports the creation of community learning centers that provide academic enrichment opportunities during non-school hours (i.e. before school, after school, during summer and other school vacations) for children, particularly those who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools. The program helps students meet state and local learning standards in core academic subjects, such as reading and math, by offering students a broad array of enrichment activities that complement their regular academic programs.  This program also offers literacy and other educational services to the families of participating children. 

Title VI – The purpose of this title is to provide grants to States to enable the States to pay the costs of the development of the additional State assessments and standards required by section 1111(b), which may include the costs of working in voluntary partnerships with other States, at the sole discretion of each such State; and if a State has developed the assessments and standards required by section 1111(b), to administer those assessments or to carry out other activities described in this subpart and other activities related to ensuring that the State's schools and local educational agencies are held accountable for results. 

CTE (Perkins) –  Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006--A federal act to improve career technical education programs; integrate academic and career technical instruction; serve special populations, including promoting gender equity; and to prepare CTE students for high skill, high wage, high demand occupations in current or emerging professions.  Programs include competency-based applied learning which contributes to an individual's academic knowledge, higher-order reasoning, problem solving skills, and the occupational-specific skills necessary for economic independence as a productive and contributing member of society. 

I.D.E.A. - IDEA Part B is a federal grant program that provides funds to ensure that eligible students ages 3 through 20 with disabilities receive a free and appropriate public education that includes special education and related services designed to meet their individual needs. 

CRF (Coronavirus Relief Fund) - As part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Congress appropriated $100,000,000 to the U.S. Department of Education (Department) for Project SERV grants to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) disruptions.

ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund) - Congress set aside approximately $13.2 billion of the $30.75 billion allotted to the Education Stabilization Fund through the CARES Act for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER Fund). The Department will award these grants ­to State educational agencies (SEAs) for the purpose of providing local educational agencies (LEAs), including charter schools that are LEAs, with emergency relief funds to address the impact that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on elementary and secondary schools across the Nation.
ESSER Fund awards to SEAs are in the same proportion as each State received funds under Part A of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended, in fiscal year 2019.

Other Federal Funding - Other Federal Funding includes (but not limited to) funding for School Nutrition, McKinney Homeless, among other federal grants that have specific restrictions on the use of funding. 

Appendix C - Highest Degree Earned

The highest degree earned by the staff person.

Possible selections are:

  • Bachelors Degree
  • Bachelors + 15 Hrs
  • Bachelors + 30 Hrs
  • Masters Degree
  • Masters + 15 Hrs
  • Masters + 30 Hrs
  • Adv. Study Cert
  • Doctorate
  • Other
    • staff assignments with this selected as the highest degree earned will not be counted for EPS even if the position selected is an EPS position.
Appendix D - Course Codes & Descriptions (SCED Codes)

Appendix D - Course Codes & Descriptions (SCED Codes)

Appendix E - Career and Technical Education (CTE) Course Codes and Clusters

Appendix E - Career and Technical Education (CTE) Course Codes and Clusters

Appendix G - Staff Job Position Descriptions

Appendix G - Staff Job Position Descriptions 

Appendix H - Endorsement Mappings

Appendix H - Endorsement Mappings

Appendix I - District Roles Definitions

At the bottom of the NEO staff certification report is the district roles section. The district roles section is where you indicate which staff members perform critical roles within the school administrative unit. It is very important to understand that these need to be accurate due to the fact that these will be public contacts and will receive critical communications pertaining to those roles. It is also important to keep these roles current and up to date throughout the year.  

Anyone with SAU admin access to the staff module within NEO can update the designated roles for their school administrative unit throughout the school year. It is important that this is done because the designee you list is the one that is listed in all public reports. It is not necessary for the superintendent to recertify if changes are made after December 1st.  When you update a district role or update a staff members contact information you MUST save the Staff Certification report in order for those changes to be reflected going forward.

504 Coordinator – The 504 Coordinator is responsible for facilitating, coordinating, and approving the development of 504 Plans. The 504 Coordinator has the role of decision-maker, consultant, and specialist in advising administrators, teachers, and other professional personnel in the development and implementation of 504 Plans.  The 504 Coordinator plans for and develops staff in-service opportunities for school based 504 facilitators.  The 504 Coordinator also provides advice and counsel for teachers and principals on matters pertaining to the development of a 504 Plan and informs such school personnel who are responsible for carrying out the adaptations and modifications as written in the 504 Plan. The 504 Coordinator performs a variety of supervisory and administrative tasks necessary in monitoring and assisting in plan development.   The 504 Coordinator monitors the overall effectiveness of student plans and ensures all are implemented within federal, state and local regulations.     

Assessment Coordinator - The Assessment Coordinator manages the development and implementation of a comprehensive program of assessment for the purpose of institutional improvements in accordance with accreditation requirements in support of institutional effectiveness. The Assessment Coordinator works with faculty, staff and administrators to develop effective strategies for the academic assessment of student learning outcomes at the general education and program levels. The assessment coordinator provides ongoing support for assessment activities, assist with the analysis of assessment methods and results and report such results to both internal and external stakeholders. The Assessment Coordinator coordinates the collection, evaluation, and dissemination of all academic, support, and administrative units. 

Attendance Coordinator – The attendance coordinator interviews students whose attendance is irregular and meets with the student and the parents to determine the cause of the irregular attendance and files a written report with the principal. This role files an annual report with the superintendent summarizing school year activities, findings and recommendations regarding truants. This role serves as a member of the dropout prevention committee and as the liaison between the school and the local law enforcement agency in matters pertaining to student absenteeism. 

Chemical Hygiene Officer (CHO)     - The chemical hygiene officer is a specialist focused on a single OSHA standard—the Laboratory Standard, which applies only to chemical exposure in laboratories. Health physicists work in school laboratories and other places that use radioactive materials, radiation machines, and lasers. 

Data Specialist - The Data Specialist is responsible for reporting student level data to the state and/or the federal government. Data Specialists may transfer information on paper into electronic data systems. This role generally oversee the entire conversion process, working closely with other school personnel to ensure that this data is accurate and accessible. A Data Specialist must research data sources to verify validity of this information. Data Specialists may also be responsible for maintaining databases. 

Director of Technology - A Director of Technology provides leadership and assumes management responsibility for the direction, coordination, integration and implementation of technology across all school district buildings and departments. The Director of Technology is responsible for planning, purchasing, installing and maintaining physical technology systems of the District in a condition of excellence enabling full educational use of technology at all times. 

Dropout Prevention Coordinator - The Dropout Prevention Coordinator coordinates and implements the District’s dropout prevention initiatives in conjunction with providing support services in areas such as: Peer Leadership, Conflict Resolution, Peer Mediation and Parent Involvement. The Dropout Prevention Coordinator also assists schools in developing dropout prevention strategies and programs. 

ESSA Coordinator – The ESEA/ESSA coordinator is an individual responsible for the implementation and oversight of ESEA Federal programs. This includes Titles I, II, III, IVA, and V.

Facilities-Director/Manager - Organizes, administers, and leads a comprehensive program of maintenance and custodial services that provide and maintain in an efficient and economical manner the facilities, grounds, equipment, and furnishings of the district, so that all students, staff, and the community are assured of clean, safe, attractive, and healthy places in which to learn and work. 

Foster Care Point of Contact - The Foster Care Point of Contact ensures that students in foster care are identified and supported through coordination between Districts and DHHS and are enrolled in and regularly attending school. The Foster Care Point of Contact participates in making and documenting BIDs with DHHS representatives and ensures school enrollment of students and timely transfer of records. The Foster Care Point of Contact may also develop procedures for coordinating cost-effective transportation and facilitate professional development for district staff.

Home Instruction Point of Contact - The Home Instruction Point of Contact is the

Superintendent or the Superintendents designee responsible for the communication regarding students and families participating in home based instruction and the rostering of students who are residents of their school administrative unit.  

Integrated Pest Management Coordinator - – The Integrated Pest Management Coordinator is the primary contact for all matters related to pest control for the school, and act as a liaison between the building occupants and the pest management professional. This role also serves as a contact for parents or others seeking information about pesticide use or other pest management practices.        

Librarian – The Librarian manages the library collection and performs a variety of media center responsibilities, including working with groups of students in developing media skills and maintaining the school’s literary collection. 

McKinney-Vento Liaison – The McKinney-Vento Liaison provides services to the children and youth in the McKinney-Vento Program to help them overcome obstacles and barriers to receiving an education and to assist family with social service needs. 

Nurse  - The School Nurse is a registered professional nurse certified with the Maine Department of Education working in the school setting who strengthens and facilitates the educational process by improving and protecting the health status of children. The major focus of school nursing services is the prevention of illness and disability, and the early detection and correction of health problems. The school nurse is uniquely qualified in preventive health, health assessment, and referral procedures. 

School Security - Provides security for the school district staff, students, buildings and property through patrol of school building(s) and building perimeters, including parking lots, to prevent unauthorized visitors or property damage and to provide for general building security; does related work as required. 

Superintendent of Schools- The superintendent is the top executive in the school district. The superintendent implements the school board’s vision by making day-to-day decisions about educational programs, spending, staff, and facilities. The superintendent hires, supervises, and manages the central staff and principals. Superintendents must work with school leaders -- principals -- to serve the needs of students and meet the district goals. The superintendent must also respond to the demands of all the other constituencies and interest groups in the district: teachers, students, parents, staff, advocates, and the community at large. She or he must consider how to use the financial and human resources of the district in order to achieve the best results. 

NEO Staff Instructions

Special Education Staff (EF-S-05 Part II)

Special Education Staff (EF-S-05 Part II) Instructions

Staff Certification

Staff certification is used for EPS calculations, so it’s important to thoroughly review this information for accuracy.
•    Prior to the superintendent’s certification all current staff must be given an active assignment(s) for the current school year 
•    The staff certification will not be accepted if the certification report contains any pending records or if there is any missing data in the designated roles section of the certification report 
•    SAUs without a librarian or nurse can select the superintendent as the district role without actually giving them a staff assignment for that role.
There are five columns on the staff certification report: 

  1. Number of Active Staff – the number of active staff members with this position 
  2. Number of Active Positions – the number of active positions with this position 
  3. Total *FTE – this is the total FTE count for staff members in this position district wide. Total FTE equals EPS FTE plus non-EPS FTE 
  4. Total *EPS FTE - this is the total EPS FTE count for staff members in this position district wide. EPS FTE is only listed if there are staff assigned to EPS Positions 
    1. The EPS FTE calculation for a staff person for all EPS positions held can never be more than 1.0 – therefore it is important to determine the FTE based on all positions; often those positions are in a different position category and are not seen on the individual reports.
    2. The EPS Position notation refers to a position that is part of the FTE calculation used in the EPS funding calculation. Not all positions listed on the Multiple Positions report are considered EPS positions, but they should be used to determine the correct FTE to use in the EPS calculation.
  5. Number of Pending Positions – the number of staff members in this position that have pending assignments within the district. If there are any staff assignments pending, the superintendent will not be able to certify the staff data.
    1. The quickest way to resolve pending positions is to use the SAU Search screen and filter on the pending positions (as seen in the following screen shot).

*FTE – Full time equivalency
*EPS – Essential Programs and Services

SAU Search Screen:

  1. Once you have the district selected click the arrow to filter PENDING to the top. 
    1. Resolve any pending positions then return to staff certification.

EPS Staff: 

  • EPS Staff section shows only your EPS positions and the totals for those positions.
    • It gives you the ability to see the EPS FTE amounts per EPS category for your SAU and is an additional place to view and certify this data other than the ED 267 report.

District Roles:

These roles should be filled by whomever is performing these functions and updated whenever this changes during the year.

  • The district roles section is where you indicate which staff members perform critical roles within the district.
  • Anyone with SAU admin access to the staff module within NEO can update the designated roles for their district throughout the school year. It is important that this is done because the designee you list is the one that is listed in all public reports. It is not necessary for the superintendent to recertify if changes are made after December 1st.

Once you have filled all district roles click save to proceed.


Certifying the report:
Once you have completed the three sections of the report the superintendent can certify. If you’re still missing any information the superintendent will see a greyed out Certify button along with an error. 

  1. If everything is complete they will have a Certify button that can be clicked:
  • Once the report is certified the certify box will show the superintendents name, along with the time and date that they certified.
    • Please note that only the superintendent and DOE staff can see the certified section/remove certification.
Superintendent/Agent Certification Instructions

Annual Certification of Superintendent Requirement

NOTE: Superintendents must share this information with school board chairs

To meet the requirement for annual certification of employment of superintendent of schools, school administrative units (SAUs) must do the following:

Superintendents must deliver this notice to the School Board Chair; School boards must meet by December 31st to elect a superintendent, if their superintendent’s contract expires in the following calendar year; and School boards must submit a report on employment of their superintendent to the Maine Department of Education.

 

Election of Superintendent

Title 20-A M.R.S.A. Section 1051 (2) requires that school boards of school administrative units meet no later than December 31 of the year preceding the expiration of the superintendent's contract to elect a superintendent by majority vote of the full membership of the board.

Superintendents are elected for specific terms not to exceed 5 years.  The term of office for any superintendent shall end on June 30, with the year to be specified by board vote. 

The superintendent must hold a valid superintendent's certificate at the time he /she takes office.

The motion to elect the superintendent and set the superintendent's salary should specify the time frame within which the offer must be accepted by the superintendent or candidate.  Non-acceptance of the offer means that a vacancy will occur at the expiration of the current contract agreement.  In the event of a vacancy, you may wish to contact the Maine School Management Association to obtain a copy of "Selection Procedures for Superintendent of Schools".

Election of Agent

The employment of an Agent is possible only under specific conditions. Please refer to the statutory provisions in Title 20-A M.R.S.A. Section 1051 for clarification.

 

Report to Department of Education

Title 20-A M.R.S.A section 1051(5) requires the chairperson and secretary of the school board to certify under oath to the Commissioner, on forms provided by the Commissioner, all facts relating to the unit's selection of a superintendent. 

Pursuant to the statute, a Certification of Employment Form must be submitted (1) annually; (2) when a new superintendent is chosen; and (3) when an existing superintendent's contract is extended, or changes are made to the compensation paid to the superintendent. 

Download the Certification of Employment Form (EF-A-605)

A copy of the minutes of any board action relating to the superintendent’s contract, and a copy of the superintendent’s contract must accompany the completed Certification of Employment form filed with the Commissioner. 

If the school board has voted to elect a superintendent or otherwise change the superintendent’s contract, please submit the form as soon as possible following the board action. 

Download the Agent in Lieu of Superintendent Form

 

Additional School Union Requirements

Regarding school unions, it should be noted that the union committee of each school union is required by statute to meet annually in December to carry out the various duties set forth in 20-A M.R.S.A. Section 1902.  This obligation exists whether or not a superintendent is being selected.

Also pertaining to school unions, in supervisory units where more than one administrative unit employs the superintendent, voting at the December meeting must be done on a weighted basis pursuant to Section 1902. A complete list of votes by unit using the 2020 estimated census counts is available at: https://www.maine.gov/doe/sites/maine.gov.doe/files/inline-files/2020EstCensusUnionVotes_forFY22.pdf

If you notice any errors in the number of school board members in any of your units, please contact us as soon as possible.

A copy of the completed Certification of Employment form must be filed with the treasurer of each member town of a school union.  Forms may be reproduced locally to meet needs.  

Superintendents of schools are responsible for delivering this notice and appropriate materials to the chairperson of each board.  If you have any questions regarding this letter, please call the Maine Department of Education at 624-6663.

 

MEIS

The MEDMS Helpdesk can assist with creating accounts and assigning permissions to accounts (District Human Resource role). We should also be the initial contact for issues with staff showing in violation on the Certification Report. If you are an educator who is logged in to your account and have questions in regards to the renewal process you will need to contact the certification team.

If you need assistance with anything beyond accessing your account (logging into MEIS), how to assign roles within MEIS (Chair person, DSTHR role), or questions regarding a staff member appearing in violation then please contact the certification team - Cert.DOE@Maine.gov or 207-624-6603.

You can also try finding documentation via the certifications team’s webpage - http://www.maine.gov/doe/cert

MEIS Login
NOTE: does not work in the Firefox web browser

 

Creating an MEIS Account - This provides step by step instructions on how to create your online account

Go to the MEIS login page.

  • Select “Are you a new user? Click here to create an account.”
  • Create a user name.
    • Next, create a password consisting of at least 6 characters. The password must also have two of the following: upper-case letter, lower case letter, number, or special character (@,;,&).
    • Enter your demographic information. For Superintendents and Renewal Chairpersons, please enter your school email as your primary email and your personal email as your secondary email. All others should only enter personal emails.
    • Enter town and date of birth. Select “Next”.
  • Choose and answer the three secret questions. Select Next.
  • Select 'I do want access to your Maine certification records' and enter your social security number. (NEO staff ID is being removed as an option) Select Next.
  • Verify information is correct. select “Submit”.
Resetting your password - This goes over how to reset your MEIS password in the event you forget it

You do not need to contact the System Support Team to reset your MEIS Password, it can be done directly from the MEIS login page.

  • Go to the MEIS login page and click the “Password problems? Click here to recover your password.” option.
  • Enter your email into the field and submit.
  • An email will be sent to the email address provided, follow the link in the email to verify your account and reset your password.
Accessing the Certification Report - specifically for the Human Resource Role
  • Log in to the Maine Educator Information System with your credentials.
  • Select the “DSTHR – District Human Resources” role.
  • Upon initial log in you will need to agree to the FERPA agreement.
  • Select “Certification report”.
  • This will bring up your certification (violations) Report. Staff assignments that are in violation will appear in pink highlight. Any questions in regards to the reason why any given staff member is in violation should be posed to the System Support Team at (207) 624-6896 or MEDMS.Helpdesk@Maine.gov.
Assigning District Human Resources role - Steps on assigning a staff member with the ability to access the Certification (Violations) Report

In order to gain access to this role, the assignee must have a MEIS account and be assigned in NEO Staff. Once this is done the superintendent can request them access via the Access Request Form.

Designating Chair Persons - How to designate a district chairperson (for Superintendents)
  • Log in to the Maine Educator Information System with your credentials.
  • Select the “DSTSUP – District Superintendent” role
  • Select “Set up District Chairperson/s”.
  • This will bring up a screen that shows you your District Chairperson Assignments and allows you to assign a new District Chairperson/s. To assign a new District Chairperson/s select “Assign a District Chairperson”.
  • Select “Find Educator”.
  • Enter the Educator ID, NEO Staff ID or SSN for the desired District Chairperson. Please be sure to also add the Chairperson for the Superintendent’s Region so they can recommend administrator renewals. Select Search.
  • The name of the individual should appear. Select “OK”.
  • Check all that apply (Teacher Chairperson, Admin Chairperson and/or Ed Tech Chairperson). Select “Submit”
  • At this point you will be brought back to the “District Chairperson Assignments” screen and should see a “Record saved successfully” message at the top of page. Please note that if it reads “Missing” under “Login Account” then the district chairperson still needs to create their account in the system.
New Superintendent Assignment - Explains how to create a Superintendent MEIS account

The new superintendent needs to create a new MEIS account, and be entered into NEO Staff. Once they create an account and are in NEO staff please email the MEDMS System support team so we can grant them the appropriate permissions in MEIS.