MEA Legislative Priorities 

It is past time to lift the minimum teacher salary in Maine. We are witnessing an exodus from the profession. Each year, over 1,400 teachers leave the field, while only 400+ graduate from Maine’s teacher preparation programs. The current minimum salary of $40,000 is not enough to attract and retain talented educators. It must be increased.

The MEA will aggressively advocate for LD 34, An Act to Increase the Minimum Teacher Salary sponsored by Senator Teresa Pierce. Senator Pierce understands we simply must raise teacher pay is essential to addressing the teacher shortages we face in our schools. This bill had strong bipartisan support last session, and we must continue to talk to legislators about why this bill is important to recruiting and retaining teachers in our schools.

→Visit: https://bit.ly/SupportLD34 to email YOUR legislators and ask them to pass LD 34

Read the proposed legislation to LD 34 Visit: https://bit.ly/LD34MEA

Maine educators are deeply concerned about the mental health of their students. They regularly report to the MEA rising behavioral and emotional challenges as one of the top issues affecting students.

Data from the Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey also underscores the need to address the overall mental health of students. In the 2023 survey of nearly 30,000 high school students in Maine:

– 35% said they felt “so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row” that they stopped doing usual activities.
– 18% reported they seriously considered suicide over the past 12 months.

The survey results from middle school students were equally troubling:

– 33% of felt “so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row” that they stopped doing usual activities.
– 22% report they have serious considered suicide over the past 12 months.

One bill, LD 858, An Act to Ensure Behavioral and Mental Health Services Are Available to Students by Providing Grants to Schools That Contract for Those Services, proposed additional resources to help providers work in public schools. It was passed by the Legislature in 2025 but was HELD by Governor Janet Mills. We hope the bill will be recalled from the Governor’s desk and we hope to find at least $1 million to support more mental health supports for our students.

You can email your legislators and ask them to support LD 858 and to prioritize additional funding for mental health supports for Maine’s students.

Read the proposed legislation to LD 858 Visit: https://bit.ly/LD858MEA

Former Governor Paul LePage made major and drastic cuts to the pensions of teachers and ed tech IIs and IIIs and despite our best efforts we have been unable to undo to these cuts because of Maine’s unique constitutional constraints.

However, the state can help by increasing its share of health care costs for retired educators and others in the MainePERS system. Rising the state contribution for the MEA BT Medicare Advantage plan from 60% to 65% and the cost is only a little more than $3 million, and would make a meaningful difference for retirees.

LD 111, An Act to Increase the State Share of Retired Teachers Health Care, is sponsored by MEA-Retired leader Representative Jan Dodge of Belfast. This bill will help ensure current and future retirees can count on the support they’ve earned.

→Visit: https://bit.ly/LD111MEAR to email YOUR legislators and ask them to support LD 111