As our kids and grandkids climb aboard buses and begin another school year, it’s worth pausing to appreciate our local educators, and to ask: Are we paying teachers what we should? And is the state doing its part to help?

In early August, Gov. LePage said public school teachers are “a dime a dozen.” In my view, a Maine teacher is more like a rare and precious gem.

As a former MSAD 75 colleague of mine wrote recently, in response to the Governor: “(he) apparently does not understand or care how hard it is to attract and retain good teachers in Maine. One reason is the starting pay. It is simply not competitive.”

As this veteran teacher went on to point out, beginning teachers make less than most other professions requiring a four-year degree — and even less than several that don’t.

Teachers work long hours. 50- hour weeks are a bare minimum: seven hours to teach, plus three to prepare and grade. Classroom materials are often on your own dime. Vacations these days are shorter, filled with workshops and graduate courses required to keep your credentials. And if you’re average, your college debt as a first-year teacher takes $500/month from your paycheck.

Here in Maine, first-year teachers make just $31,385. By that yardstick we’re 43rd in the nation, and the worst in New England.

To attract and keep the best teachers, Maine needs to do better.

Money isn’t everything, and no one chooses teaching to get rich. But the research is clear: when teachers are paid and treated as professionals, they’re better able to help students succeed.

So is the state doing its part?

We’re getting there. Thanks to the vote of Maine people last November on Question 2, we made real progress recently. It was hard fought, even to the point of a brief state shutdown, but the last state budget did include significant new funding for our schools.

As a result, MSAD 75 is receiving nearly $2 million more over the next biennium: over $500,000 more in the coming school year than expected, and close to $1.5 million more in the following year. RSU 2, the other school district I represent, is receiving about the same amount.

Other local districts fare similarly. Brunswick receives $628,603 more than expected this year, while RSU 1 receives $547,311 more. Again, the state share increases even more in the following fiscal year.

Clearly, the recent vote of Maine people last November on Question 2, requiring the state to fund 55 percent of K-12 school funding, had an impact. While not as much as I’d hoped, the increased state share would not have been possible without the vote of the people.

Not all this new money will go to teacher pay. New contracts take time. By law, at least half the money must be used to reduce your property taxes. Local voters and school boards determine how the rest is spent. Either way, the funding is needed, has been demanded by Maine voters, and will help.

None of us — student or teacher, parent or grandparent — is a dime a dozen. We each have unique talents and potential to make a positive difference. With a new school year upon us and a new Governor and new Legislature being chosen in 14 months, let’s each do what we can to help our state shine.

Rep. Seth Berry ((D-Bowdoinham) taught in public schools for 19 years. Returning home to teach in Maine, he took a pay cut of over 30 percent. Today, he divides his time between the State House and the private sector.