Fast Facts

FASTFACTS

“I’m in the job because it’s rewarding. It’s good for my heart. It makes me happy, but the salary -- it’s tight. Teachers are taking out credit cards and doing it that way because it’s the only way they can afford it. I know it’s hard to see that come out of your taxes, but we need it. We need it to support our kids. And by supporting your teachers,

you’re supporting your kids.” Chelsea Crane, a first-grade teacher in Biddeford on NewsCenter Maine speaking about the need to increase the starting teacher pay to $40,000.

“When we don’t have a voice in how that is done, and we don’t have a voice in the way that we are evaluated, that can start to be really disheartening, and I worry,” Sinclair said. “I worry about declining teachers. I worry about teachers who leave the business in the first three-to-five

years.” Heather Sinclair, a teacher at Wiscasset Middle High School and a school board member in Edgecomb, speaking during a news conference at MEA’s #RedforEd Day at the State House, as aired on Maine Public.

“We advertised. We called the colleges. We advertised again. And still did not find a single person for a third-grade teaching

position.” Patty Scully, Winslow Elementary teacher, testifying in Augusta, with comments later printed in the Bangor Daily News, on the need to increase teacher salaries to attract and retain people to fill vacant positions. Scully, an intervention teacher, was required to take the 3rd grade position because the district never found a qualified applicant. 14 Maine Educator • June 2019

By the Numbers

9 STATES The number of states that have lower starting teacher salaries, compared to Maine—putting Maine’s starting salary near the bottom of the list. 77 CENTS The amount of money teachers earn compared to every dollar earned by someone in another profession with similar education and years of experience—also known as the Teacher Pay Gap. $10 MILLION The amount of money Governor Mills placed into her original budget to fund an increase in starting teacher salaries to $40,000. 50 YEARS Average age of an American public school nationwide, as reported in NEA Today article regarding the need for states to invest more in school infrastructure. $3 MILLION Amount of money in the State’s School Revolving Renovation Fund which provides no-interest loans for school repairs across the state. The fund initially had $200 million in it when Governor Angus King was in office. Governor Mills is proposing adding a one-time $20 million investment into the fund to help aging schools.

“The Maine Education Association has heard for years from its members about the evaluation process and its need for change. This change in law truly highlights the value and knowledge of our teachers. Teachers deserve a fair evaluation process, one that helps them learn and grow; this new law allows for that to happen while giving teachers a voice in the process.”

MEA President Grace Leavitt in a statement as news broke on the passage of a new teacher evaluation law that removes the standardized test score requirement.