An Act To Create a Senior Life Educator Certificate Program
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 1187
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: FAIRCLOTH, LANSLEY
Amends: 20-A MRSA §13015

Legislative Document 
No. 1187 
H.P.816 
House of Representatives, March 8, 2005 
An Act To Create a Senior Life Educator Certificate Program 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed. 
Presented by Representative FAIRCLOTH of Bangor. 
Cosponsored by Representative: LANSLEY of Sabattus. 
Printt!d on recycled paper 
Il/~ 
/J1·711~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. I. 20-A MRSA §I30I4-A is enacted to read: 
§130l4-A. 
Senior life educator certificate 
1. 
Definition. 
"Senior life educator certificate" means a 
certificate issued to an individual who has achieved professional 
standards in accordance with this section. 
2. 
Qualifications. 
The 
state board 
shall 
adopt 
rules 
governing 
the 
qualifications 
for 
a 
senior 
life 
educator 
certificate that require that an applicant at a minimum: 
A. 
Hold a master I s 
degree or above 
from an accredited, 
degree granting postsecondary education institution in 
a 
field specifically relevant to the subject being taught in 
the classroom and have maintained a 
m1n1mum grade point 
average of at least 3.0 on a scale of 4.0, or the equivalent 
of a "B" average, during the postbaccalaureate program; and 
B. 
Have work experience in a field specifically relevant to 
the subject being taught in the classroom as follows: 
(1) 
Have 
years 
or 
more 
of 
college 
teaching 
experience 
at 
an 
accredited, 
degree-granting 
postsecondary education institution and 5 years or more 
of work experience in a field specifically relevant to 
the subject being taught in the classroom; or 
(2) 
Have 
years or more of work experience in a 
field specifically relevant to the subject being taught 
in the classroom. 
3. 
EndorSements. 
A senior life educator certificate must 
be issued with an endorsement that specifies the grades 
and 
subject area the teacher is qualified to teach as determined by 
rules adopted by the state board. 
A holder of a senior life 
educator 
certificate 
may 
not 
teach 
outside 
the 
area 
of 
endorsement. 
4. 
Two year limit. 
A senior life educator certificate may 
be 
issued for 
a 
year period 
and 
may 
be 
renewed 
only 
in 
accordance with section 13016. 
The state board shall adopt rules to implement this section 
and section 13016, subsection 5. 
Rules adopted pursuant to this 
section are 
routine technical rules 
as 
defined in Title 
5, 
chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. 
Page l-LR2005(l) 
Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §13015, sub-§l, as enacted by PL 1983, c. 
845, §4, is amended to read: 
1. 
Employment. 
Ne 
A public 
school 
or 
private 
school 
approved for tuition purposes under section 2901, subsection 2, 
paragraph B may not employ a provisional teacher or the holder of 
a senior life educator certificate unless it has an approved, 
locally 
designedT 
support 
system 
or 
has 
received 
specific 
authorization 
from 
the 
commissioner in accordance with state 
board rules. 
Sec.3. 20-A MRS A §13016, sub-§5 is enacted to read: 
5. 
Senior 
life 
educator 
certificate. 
A 
senior 
life 
educator 
certificate 
may 
be 
renewed 
for 
2-year 
periods 
in 
accordance with state board rules, 
which must 
require at 
a 
minimum that the senior life educator complete at least 6 hours 
of in-service training designed to improve the performance of the 
educator 
in the 
area 
of 
endorsement 
under 
section l30l4-A, 
subsection 3 and that the senior life educator have an approved, 
locally designed support system in accordance with section 13015. 
SUMMARY 
This bill allows an individual who does not have a teaching 
certificate but has life experience and a master's degree or 
above to be issued a senior life educator certificate.