PORTLAND, Maine — To address a teacher shortage and better support educators, the Maine Department of Education is collaborating with the nonprofit Educate Maine to create a hub for educators.
Announced Tuesday, the "Teach Maine Center" will launch off of the department's "Teach Maine" call to action.
The goal is to invest in Maine's educators by creating a collaborative space to better equip and support current and soon-to-be teachers across the state.
"The key questions are what drew [educators] to this profession, what keeps [educators] here, and how can we give teachers more voice in their profession," Educate Maine Program Director Dolly Sullivan said.
Over the next year, leaders will conduct county-level forums with educators to get a better understanding of how to best support them in and out of the classroom.
The initial stages are being funded by federal emergency money received by the DOE.
"[It's] professional development that's led by teachers, designed by teachers," Educate Maine Executive Director Jason Judd said. "So we can look at the regional differences that might be happening in Cumberland County versus Sagadahoc versus Aroostook."
Many ideas are still on the table, including mentoring programs, diversifying the teacher workforce, and ways to improve teacher pay. However, Educate Maine hopes to shape the center into a brick-and-mortar spot.
DOE Communications Director Marcus Mrowka said investing in educators is key.
"We will solicit feedback and what teachers need for professional learning to help them do their jobs better and support students from across the state ... thinking about some of the strategies that we could implement to recruit and retain," Mrowka said.