AUGUSTA, Maine — On the heels of a federal report regarding critical shortages of teachers in Maine, two bills are pending before the legislature's appropriations committee that will raise salaries for teachers, ed techs, and support staff.
Supporters say increases are key to recruiting and retaining staff by offering a more liveable wage. However, some school districts say a state mandate oversteps local control and burdens taxpayers.
It's almost vacation week, and Nick Salamone can hardly wait.
"This is when kids are having a hard time, the staff is ready...to need a big break," Salamone said.
Salamone works as an ed tech in a special needs classroom at Village Elementary School in Gorham.
According to the Maine Education Association, he is one of about 8,000 ed techs working in Maine schools. They get paid hourly to work one-on-one with students with physical and developmental disabilities who need constant supervision and support.
Salamone is not doing this life-changing work for the pay, but to make a difference in the lives of Maine's most vulnerable students. While his district pays ed techs above minimum wage, he has seen colleagues leave for higher-paying jobs, even at fast food restaurants, to survive economically.
"If you have people who want to work with these children, and we compensate them properly, they are going to stay, and more people are going to come and do this work," he explained.
State lawmakers on the appropriations committee are considering two bills raising salaries statewide, from teachers to bus drivers. LD 1064, approved last session, would increase starting teacher pay to $50,000 by the 2027-28 school year. LD 974 also passed last year, would lift the wages for ed techs to 150% of the state's minimum wage, and 125% for support staff including, food service workers, custodial staff, and bus drivers. According to the MEA, more than 20 school districts pay their ed techs the state minimum wage of $14.15 per hour.
LD 974 would bump their salaries to $21.23 per hour, and support staff would earn a little more than $17.50 per hour. The state would pay the full share of the increase through 2026-27, after which costs would be picked up by local school districts.
State Rep. Kelly Murphy, an ed-tech who has worked with special needs students, said some of the lowest-paid Mainers are doing the hardest work in our schools.
"Most ed techs I would say do have bachelor's degrees or advanced degrees, and their hourly wage is not appropriate for the work that is being done," Murphy said.
Gorham Superintendent Heather Perry supports compensating ed techs and support staff but not with a state mandate. She believes the the proposal infringes on local control, and its ability to negotiate contracts, She said the mandate would cost the district, already dealing with inflationary costs, as much as $800,000 annually.
"The pressure it's going to place on local communities to support those increases is going to be tremendous. We are going to run into difficulties passing budgets," Perry stated.
Perry believes the state should create grants where districts can apply for funds to boost pay rates.
The Gorham school district has also partnered with Southern Maine Community College and the University of Southern Maine, to remove barriers for staff to advance their careers.