Despite record enrollment and increased workloads, full-time faculty in the Maine Community College System (MCCS) have been working without a contract since July 1, 2024—over 500 days and counting.
Enrollment at Maine’s seven community colleges has surged since 2020, driven in part by the Free Community College Program passed by the Legislature in 2021. This fall, enrollment exceeded 20,000 students. Yet faculty numbers have remained stagnant, creating a widening gap that places increasing pressure on educators. Larger course loads, additional responsibilities, and limited resources have become the norm.
Members of the Community College Faculty Association (CCFA) are vital to the mission of the MCCS and in addressing Maine’s workforce challenges. However, according to a survey conducted by CCFA,
56% of faculty have considered leaving their positions in the prior three years due to salary concerns. Such an exodus would be devastating for students and would strip the system—and Maine—of invaluable institutional knowledge and expertise.
“People around the state are facing inflationary pressures, and community college faculty are not immune to that. Our wages have not kept up with inflation. Meanwhile enrollment is at a record high and faculty numbers remain stagnant. This combination creates a recipe for disaster.”
Mike Tardiff
President of KVCC’s chapter of Community College Faculty Association
Community college faculty bring a rare combination of expertise: they are not only masters of their disciplines, trades, and professions, but also skilled educators who understand how to teach a diverse and dynamic student population. That teaching expertise takes years to develop—and once it’s lost, it is not easily replaced.
“People around the state are facing inflationary pressures, and community college faculty are not immune to that,” said Mike Tardiff, President of KVCC’s chapter of CCFA. “Our wages have not kept up with inflation. Meanwhile enrollment is at a record high and faculty numbers remain stagnant. This combination creates a recipe for disaster. We need resources to recruit and retain the best educators for Maine’s students.”
→Wages Falling Behind
Systemwide wages have not kept pace with inflation, adding financial strain to faculty already juggling extra roles. According to CCFA, 91% of faculty report seeking additional work to make ends meet, and more than half have considered leaving the system due to stagnant wages. Faculty have experienced a real wage decrease since 2020, with the sharpest drop, 3%, occurring in 2022.
“Ten years later, with a master’s degree, I send students out [to their jobs] making $10 more an hour than I earn with a decade of experience working at the community college”
Jessica Gleason
KVCC
An electrical instructor from Kennebec Community College (KVCC) shared the financial trade-off many faculty face. “The trades are important, but when we ask people to come here [the community college system] to teach, we’re asking them to make a big sacrifice. Many of us could earn more working directly in the trades. I do this because I want to give back and help the trades grow—but we lose credibility with our students when we’re making half of what they earn right out of school.”
Jessica Gleason, Physical Therapy Clinical Education Coordinator at KVCC, took a $20,000 pay cut to teach at the community college. “Ten years later, with a master’s degree, I send students out [to their jobs] making $10 more an hour than I earn with a decade of experience working at the community college,” she says—a reality reflected in statewide data showing Maine faculty salaries lag behind both inflation and regional averages.
→Student Success Depends on Faculty
Our community colleges serve over 33,000 Mainers annually, providing critical education and workforce training. Faculty members are essential to this mission. Without competitive pay, Maine risks losing experienced educators and undermining the overall success of our students.
“We are being stretched thin. We feel forced to take overloads,” she said. “When enrollment was down, [the administration] cut faculty positions, but now that enrollment is at an all-time high, faculty have not been hired back. That has a direct impact on our students— I am losing time for the one-to-one interaction with my students that make the Community College experience special.”
Shari Ward
President of CCFA
Even so, faculty say the issue is not just about compensation—it’s about student outcomes. “When you invest in faculty, you invest in committed, seasoned faculty members that support student success,” Gleason said.
Shari Ward, faculty member at Northern Maine Community College (NMCC) and President of Community College Faculty Association (CCFA), described how this imbalance affects students. “We are being stretched thin. We feel forced to take overloads,” she said. “When enrollment was down, [the administration] cut faculty positions, but now that enrollment is at an all-time high, faculty have not been hired back. That has a direct impact on our students— I am losing time for the one-to-one interaction with my students that make the Community College experience special.”
Average Faculty Salary at a Public 2-Year College:
Average faculty salaries at public two-year colleges in Maine rank 37th in the nation. Here’s how Maine stacks up against nearby states and the national average.
| State | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Connecticut | $93,555 |
| National Average Public 2-year | $81,344 |
| New Hampshire | $73,561 |
| Massachusetts | $71,042 |
| Rhode Island | $67,727 |
| Maine | $65,987 |
Support Community College Faculty
The full-time faculty at the Maine Community College System have been working without a contract since July 1, 2024. Meanwhile, the System has experienced record enrollments. Unfortunately, this record growth in enrollment has not been met with hiring record numbers of full-time faculty. This has meant increased demands on faculty. Despite these demands, the faculty have been instrumental in supporting students’ success.
Please support the full-time faculty in their efforts to negotiate their contract by emailing MCCS President David Daigler, the Board of Trustees and Governor Janet Mills. Tell them that too much time has passed, and the full-time faculty deserve a fair contract now.
TAKE ACTION NOW: Support Community College Faculty!
