Maine’s teachers go above and beyond every day to help our kids succeed. They are the glue that holds our schools together, and they deserve our support.

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week, a time when we should be celebrating educators and recommitting to giving them the tools they need to do their jobs well. Instead, at the State House, we are hearing extreme proposals that hurt our students and demoralize our school staff.

Last week, the Legislature’s Education and Cultural Affairs Committee heard proposals to ban books and eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs in Maine public schools, among others. This week, we’re hearing a number of measures to limit students’ access to educational materials and restrict learning for everyone based on the views of a few.

These harmful bills are being proposed under the guise of protecting students and parental rights, but they reflect a nationwide effort to politicize the classroom. Instead of focusing on how to help Maine students succeed, or how parents and teachers can work together, these proposals pit neighbors against each other and turn our local schools into damaging political theater.

Legislative Democrats are standing up against these bills. We’re focused on supporting teachers, empowering students and promoting an environment where every student is valued, and we’re sponsoring a number of measures to get there.

One example is Rep. Millett’s bill to address the statewide shortage of school support staff by raising their wages to 125% of the statewide minimum hourly wage. School support staff help students learn and excel, keep our children safe and healthy and make sure our schools run smoothly. But right now, Maine schools are struggling to fill positions, from bus drivers to ed techs to nutrition workers. Establishing a reasonable minimum pay for these essential workers is a key part of the solution.

Alongside this measure, Sen. Pierce is sponsoring a bill to increase teacher salaries. In Maine, we are seeing an unprecedented number of teachers leaving the profession. By increasing the minimum pay, we can bolster our efforts to recruit and retain quality educators. This bill would raise the minimum teacher salary to $50,000 incrementally, through the 2027-28 fiscal year.

A number of other proposals by Democratic lawmakers would also give our schools and the students they serve much needed support.

Rep. Michael Brennan, House chair of the Education Committee, has proposed legislation to develop an application process for designating community schools, helping mobilize communities to increase students’ academic success. He has also sponsored a measure to provide grants to school districts to strengthen reading proficiency programs, with a focus on districts with identified reading achievement gaps.

Sen. Joe Rafferty, Senate chair of the Education Committee and a lifelong educator, has seen firsthand how homelessness can impact a student’s success. That’s why he sponsored a bill to continue funding an already-successful program that helps students and their families who are struggling to find and maintain stable housing.

Additionally, a bill from Rep. Lydia Crafts, D-Newcastle, would improve student-to-school counselor and student-to-school social worker ratios. This proposal would be a huge step toward supporting students’ mental health so they can focus on learning and growing.

Earlier this year, Democratic lawmakers supported a continuing services budget that invests in our future by supporting our schools. That measure, now law, keeps the state’s commitment to Maine schools, municipalities and teachers by funding 55% of K-12 public education costs. It also preserves free breakfast and lunch for all students, and it bolsters early childhood education workforce by maintaining salary supplements for early childhood educators.

We have more work to do to ensure our students are healthy today and prepared to reach their full potential in the future. Attacking curricula and banning books won’t help us achieve those goals. Maine Democrats are committed to defeating these extreme proposals and fighting for our teachers, our kids, our families and our future.

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