As teachers in MSAD75 we feel it is time to use our “teacher voice” and speak out for our teachers and our profession. It is the teachers who care for and teach the children in this district, it is the teachers who nurture and support and encourage children each and every day. The teachers in MSAD 75 work tirelessly to support and educate the children of this community. They don’t do it to get rich, they do it because they care about what they do and they care about the children they teach each and every day. It seems the dedication, expertise, compassion and time that teachers invest in their students is not worth paying a fair wage. 

When you look at these numbers it is easy to see the monetary compensation does not reflect genuine investment in our most valuable asset in the MSAD 75 school district. These numbers make it no surprise that this district is losing experienced teachers to other districts, no surprise this district has had to hire many non-certified teachers, no surprise we often lose out of first choice candidates to neighboring districts. 

In MSAD 75 the teacher salaries are unable to compete with that of surrounding communities and it t is because of this; the district is consistently losing good teachers to other districts. It is because of this, the local schools are unable to hire top candidates, as they turn down the offers when they see the salary scale. And the teachers who do accept a position at MSAD 75, and continue to stay in the district do so, not because of the pay, but because of their care, compassion and dedication to this community and the children here. In light of this, one would think, the board and the community members who vote for that board would want to see their teachers compensated fairly. It is hard to imagine the community would not want the best, the best facilities, the best staff and the best teachers to work with their children. How a parent would want otherwise would be unexplainable. 

When you compare salaries across neighboring districts, the gap widens extensively between surrounding districts and MSAD 75. A teacher with 15 years’ experience and a Master’s degree earns $61,454 in Brunswick, $62,898 in Bath, and $64,316 at Freeport. This same teacher would make only $54,300 in MSAD 75. With 20 years of experience, the gap widens even further. This teacher would earn $69,635 in Brunswick, $76,688 in Bath, and $68,431 in Freeport. That same teacher in MSAD 75 would only make $58,800. This is a difference of close to $20,000 in salary between MSAD 75 and our neighboring school in Bath. 

Often you will hear people say that, yes, perhaps MSAD 75 teachers get paid less, but they have a better health insurance. And yes, in fact MSAD 75 does have an excellent health insurance package, however it does not begin to compensate for the deficit in salaries. Ever when you take into consideration the insurance premiums there remains a salary gap of $10,605. This is not acceptable. 

Teachers do not get into the profession of teaching to become rich, teachers get into this profession because they love and care about the students for which they teach. However, love of the job can only get you so far. Being told you are valued over and over again, yet with each new negotiation cycle seeing the pay increase offer stagnate, does not inspire teachers to believe in fact they are a valuable part of the education community in MSAD 75. Raising teacher compensation is important. Better teachers create a well-educated and highly skilled workforce, which attracts business and in turn creates thriving communities. 

The voters in MSAD 75 proved that they do care about education, they voted overwhelmingly for additional funding for the new high school. They voted for additional funding for a new turf field. It is hard to imagine a community who values the skeleton of a school, does not too value the heart of that same school. Teachers matter, always. They change lives for the better, in ways that go far above and beyond what a new building or a new playing fields ever will. It is hard to imagine a community that would not want to see the heart, the vital muscle of a school, through in which all the lifeblood flows, not recognized and compensated for the absolutely vital job they do each and every day.