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Janet Mills on Education
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Restore budget cuts to higher education
This year, I ask this Legislature to fully fund the second year of the higher education budget which was cut last spring. These institutions of higher learning cannot withstand rising costs without the prospects of higher tuition. And higher tuition is
the last thing our students need.Our CTEs [Career and Technical Education] are more important than ever; yet they have not received significant funds for equipment since 1998. I ask this body to fund equipment upgrades for our CTEs so that teachers
are able to provide our 8,000 CTE students with the skills that we desperately need them to have.
We need to simplify debt relief programs like the Educational Opportunity Tax Credit to help more graduates retire their debt.
And we must boost the Educators for Maine Loan Forgiveness Program to incentivize young teachers to work in the underserved areas which desperately need them.
Source: 2020 Maine State of the State address
, Jan 21, 2020
Expand pre-school; pay teachers a living wage
This budget begins making pre-kindergarten programs available to every 4-year old in Maine.We provide $18.5 million to Child Development Services to support our youngest and neediest children. For kindergarten through high school, we provide an
additional $126 million. This budget invests in recruitment and retention to ensure that teachers in Maine will not be forced to leave the state for a living wage. This budget ensures that no teacher in Maine will make less than $40,000 a year.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Maine legislature
, Feb 11, 2019
Invest $126M in public schools, and $18M for child services
This budget begins making pre-kindergarten programs available to every 4-year old in Maine.We also provide $18.5 million to Child Development Services to support the needs of our youngest and neediest children.
For kindergarten through high school, we provide an additional $126 million over the biennium. This brings the state's share of public education funding to nearly 51 percent of Essential Programs and Services.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Maine legislature
, Feb 11, 2019
Commission on Education Reform must follow open meetings law
Maine Atty Gen Janet Mills filed a complaint in district court charging the Blue Ribbon Commission on Education Reform with violating the state's open meetings law. Mills says the DoEd asked her office whether the first meeting of the commission
could be closed as Governor Paul LePage wished and her answer was clear that it could not. "We allege that there was a willful violation in good part because they were informed directly, specifically that of course the meeting was a public meeting."
Source: MainePublic.org on 2018 Maine Gubernatorial race
, Jul 8, 2016
Page last updated: Mar 15, 2020
