Benefits of Being a

VIP MEMBER

Recap of the work done to support educators

As a member of the Maine Education Association you receive dozens of tangible benefits that impact your daily work. Some of those benefits come in the form of advocacy on your behalf at both the state and federal level. Over the course of the recent legislative session, leadership and staff of the Maine Education Association along with hundreds of MEA members advocated for dozens of bills that became law, supporting the profession and Maine students. The MEA has your back, and here are some of the successes you can attribute to the work of the Association.

Addressing Dangerous Behaviors Against Educators

Nearly 64% of MEA members told the Association in a survey they had been hit or physically hurt by a student. The number was startling and MEA looked toward a solution for its members and the students in crisis. A new law now allows educators to call for an internal investigation any time they experience dangerous behavior from a student. Administrators are also now required to investigate any dangerous behavior and work with the educator and the union representative to prevent such behavior in the future. In addition, because members told the MEA they had missed work, and were forced to use sick days due to dangerous behavior involving students, the MEA worked to ensure this new law did not require an employee to use his/her sick days if time is missed due to an injury caused by a student. Several other bills also passed specifically addressing the needs of our students that prioritizes social and emotional learning.

School Funding Improvements

Public education funding increased by $40 million for this school year and that figure will nearly double in the following school year. The State share of education funding is still short of the 55% requirement voters asked for, but MEA’s efforts have now resulted in three years of consistent, sizeable increases in State aid for our schools.

Increase in Minimum Teacher Salary to $40,000

The minimum teacher salary will increase from $30,000 to $35,000 on July 1, 2020, and then $37,500 on July 1, 2021, before finally reaching $40,000 on July 1, 2022. This is not the timetable MEA advocated for, but this is progress. MEA is working with local Associations on a plan to help increase all salaries to reflect this change and create equity across the board.

Pay Averaging for Hourly Employees

MEA understands the hardship hourly employees face when schools close due to weather and school vacations. This new law requires all districts to offer pay averaging to employees and gives the union the ability to bargain locally over how best to implement this program.

Teacher Evaluation-Due Process Protected

Under the current teacher evaluation system, effectiveness ratings are not grieveable. However, under a law passed with MEA support, teachers will now have the ability to grieve effectiveness ratings, if they impact discipline or other personnel matters.

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For years, the MEA has advocated for significant changes to the teacher evaluation system and this year MEA worked to change the law to remove the mandate to use test scores. In addition, MEA made sure the steering committees in place to guide the process are comprised of a majority of teachers, selected by the local union representative in each district.

Two-Year Probationary Period Reinstituted

MEA was successful in pushing the probationary period back to two years for all new hires beginning with the 2020-2021 school year. This new change also applies to any teachers that begin work in a new district, again beginning with the 2020-2021 school year and each year thereafter. This change rolls back a law set into place by then Governor LePage.

MEA also worked toward these efforts, and was successful in the following areas:

• Prohibition of food shaming in all of Maine’s public schools • Increase in the National Board certification stipend to $5,000 for teachers in underserved communities and underserved subjects • Better funding and support for school-based health centers • Elimination of the unnecessary “120-day notice” of intent to bargain, thus eliminating a wasteful step in the negotiating process • Removed the prohibition on active teachers serving on the State Board of Education • Removal of nearly all restrictions on retirees returning to work • Public comment requirement for school boards during meetings of the full board • Ability for local union leaders to have access to new hire lists, so MEA can adequately communicate with and represent all unit members, as well as recruit more members • Protection of collective bargaining rights for employees at the new “regional school management and regional centers.” • Participation in the coalition to secure earned paid leave days for nearly all Maine workers • Improvements to the composition of the Maine Labor Relations Board, which is currently stacked against workers • Recognition of the desire to form a union with the turning in of signed cards of consent

While the legislative session saw many improvements for educators and in turn students, there is still work to be done. Bills to expand collective bargaining rights of teachers, to include planning and prep time and a bill to bring binding arbitration to negotiations both failed after being vetoed by Governor Janet Mills.

MEA will continue to work to increase the voice of the educator both in our schools and at the bargaining table. If you have questions regarding any of these new laws or have an issue you believe MEA should address, please contact MEA Government Relations Director, John Kosinski at jkosinski@maineea.org.