Kristen Archer gets her classroom at Sherwood Heights Elementary School in Auburn ready in August 2024. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

More than a dozen Maine teachers, administrators, education advocates and lawmakers testified Wednesday in support of a bill that would increase the state’s minimum teacher salary to at least $50,000 as a way to help solve teacher recruitment and retention issues in the state

The bill, LD 34, would incrementally increase the minimum salary for Maine teachers from $40,000, reaching $50,000 in the 2028-29 school year and potentially $52,000 in the 2029-30 school year.

Sen. Teresa Pierce, a Democrat from Falmouth and the bill’s sponsor, told members of the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee on Wednesday that Maine needs to address its educator workforce crisis swiftly, because the majority of teachers are set to retire in the next five to 10 years.

“We need to prepare now, and start aggressively recruiting and retaining teachers for a wave of employment opportunities in our schools,” Pierce said.

She said Maine has one of the lowest teacher starting pay rates in the region, and the country, which drives entry-level teachers to look outside the state for work. The National Education Association has reported Maine has the lowest average teacher salary in New England.

Maine last raised its minimum salary to $40,000 in 2019. It had been set at $30,000 since 2005. An almost identical bill to raise the rate to $50,000 passed the House and Senate last year, but didn’t make it past the appropriations committee.

TEACHERS FEEL THE CRUNCH

Several teachers testified about their financial struggles. Kendrah Fisher, a seventh grade teacher from Dover-Foxcroft, said she is only able to afford to stay in the profession because of her husband’s income and knows colleagues who have needed food stamps or left teaching because the cost of child care exceeded pay.

“I should not have to be reliant on my husband to afford living while working as a professional who holds a bachelor’s degree, especially when the bachelor’s degree is a requirement to work in my field,” Fisher said.

A sixth grade English teacher at York Middle School, Tony Beaumier, said he has been teaching in Maine since the 1980s, but has never been so concerned about the profession. He said a few years ago, York schools were highly selective and often got 25-30 applicants for a position.

“Two years ago, we advertised for a special education teacher, and we received one applicant,” Beaumier said. “The impacts of a teacher shortage include larger class sizes, increased teacher workload, and challenges in providing adequate student support.”

Superintendent Jeremy Ray, who leads schools in Biddeford, Saco and Dayton, also testified that Maine’s teacher pay rate is driving people away from the profession.

“The starting salary for teachers is simply not even competitive in today’s market,” Ray said. “I’m not sure this is even going to be enough. We are starting to lose teachers midway through the school year to other industries like I haven’t seen before. I’ve lost three in the last month.”

SPENDING CONCERNS

The committee also heard from statewide education advocates like Jason Judd, the executive director of the nonprofit Educate Maine. That organization put out a report late last year that said compensation is a top issue for Maine teachers.

“Higher salaries will help stabilize our schools by reducing turnover, fostering continuity in classrooms, and ensuring students benefit from experienced and dedicated educators,” he said.

Judd also said his group is led by the Maine business community, many of whom are supporting the legislation because they want to attract people to live and work in the state, and strong schools are an important factor in that.

Only a few spoke in opposition: Rebecca Lambert with the Maine Municipal Association said her organization’s members were concerned about the property tax implications of the bill.

LD 34 would require the state to shoulder the cost of the increases through 2030, after which point it would be shared by the state and local school districts through the funding formula. A fiscal note on last year’s version of the bill estimated a cost of $3.5 million in the first year, with annual costs increasing up to $11 million by the final year.

Faye Anderson, president of the Maine School Boards Association, said the organization supports increased pay for teachers but opposed the bill because, she said, local districts should be the ones to make those decisions.

A recent survey from the University of New Hampshire’s Survey Center found that 71% of Mainers support the proposal to increase minimum teacher pay.

At a news conference Wednesday, Pierce said that despite the tight state budget, pay for teachers is still worth growing.

“I can’t think of a better place to put the treasure of our state into than with teachers on the ground,” she said. “They educate our youth, they teach them how to read, they teach them how to think analytically, they prepare them for the future. It’s part of our fiscal responsibility and how we’re going to economically grow in the state.”

Staff Writer Rachel Ohm contributed to this report.