Dear MEA Members –
The Legislature is scheduled to conclude its work in the next three weeks, and everything we have worked on to improve conditions for educators will be voted on in the next few weeks. This session the MEA has consistently advocated for pension improvements for educators, higher wages for teachers and school support staff, greater protections for higher education employees, and more mental health supports for students; we have also advocated against efforts to make our schools less inclusive and giving parents control over curriculum. With the work of committees now complete, all the bills will make their way to the House and Senate for votes. Over the next few weeks, we may be asking members for your help – to reach out to legislators, to share your story. Please be vigilant. We can make great progress if our members are active, engaged, and involved in the legislative process. We have many bills set up for success, but we will need your help to get these items across the finish line.
Already, the Legislature has passed bills to improve pension benefits by lifting the COLA cap (LD 70). That bill now sits on the Special Appropriations Table and will see further action as part of the ongoing state budget discussions.
We got our first bill signed into law – LD 1095, which addresses contracts with zipper clauses. More guidance from MEA about this new law will be forthcoming.
But we still have critical bills to lift the minimum teacher salary (LD 1064), lift the minimum wage for school support staff (LD 974), and various other bills to address workforce shortages and help us improve conditions for educators and students. So please stay tuned for updates as we go.
Key Update on LD 974 – Minimum Wage for School Support Staff
This session the MEA has aggressively advocated for legislation to lift the minimum wage for school support staff. There were four bills to address the low wages of ed techs and other support staff and we supported all of them. The Education Committee has decided to rally around LD 974, sponsored by Ed Crockett.
Originally the Committee proposed to lift the minimum wage for all school support staff to 150% of the state minimum wage and 200% for ed techs. However, the Committee and legislators have had a lot of pushback from superintendents and some school board members complaining these amounts are unaffordable. Some are offering outrageous cost estimates for implementing this version. Yesterday, the Committee reconsidered their vote and decided to support a minimum wage for school support staff that is 125% of the state minimum wage ($17.25 today) and 150% of the state minimum wage for ed techs ($20.60) today. As written, the future costs will be reflected in the school funding formula to provide the resources districts need to implement these new minimums. The new proposal maintains strong bipartisan support. Eleven legislators voted in favor of the amended version of LD 974 and only one opposed (Representative Ed Polewarczyk of Wiscasset) and he wanted to maintain the 150%/200% figures but wanted a different funding mechanism. Bipartisan commitment for the concept remains.
But we need your help – please email your legislators right away and ask them to support LD 974: You Deserve a Raise! With one click, you can tell them why raising minimum wages for school support staff is critical – and lifting the minimum teacher salary to $50k (LD 1064) is important too.
Please share this link with other members in your local and ask them to write their legislators: You Deserve a Raise!
Legislators need to hear from educators about how important it is to lift wages for school support staff so we can recruit and retain high quality educators in our schools.
The MEA is confident we can make progress for all ed techs and all school support staff by passing an increase in the minimum wage for school staff. We have experience doing just that. When the state implemented the minimum teacher salary of $40k, we were successful in making salary improvements for teachers up and down the scale. We can do the same if the Legislature passes LD 974 and LD 1064.
There are many other bills and issues making their way through the Legislature, but LD 974 and LD 1064 are critical bills, and we need your help to continue to build support for them in the Legislature.
Thanks for all you do. Enjoy the wonderful weather. Please stay connected, and please reach out to your legislators and ask them to support LD 974 and LD 1064.
In Unity,
John Kosinski
Government Relations Director
Maine Education Association
