An Act To Provide for a Professional Wage and Support for New Educators
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 0898
Committee Amendment CA_A_S59 (Senate)
Amends: 20-A MRSA §13012-A, 20-A MRSA §13015-A

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT " A " to S.P. 264, L.D. 898, Bill, "An Act To 
Provide for a Professional Wage and Support for New Educators" 
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 1 and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §13012-A, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2017, c. 381, §14, is 
further amended to read: 
4. Requirements. If-a A school administrative unit employs may not employ a 
conditionally certified teacher or educational specialist unless it has a locally designed 
peer support and mentoring system as described in section 13015-A. For a conditional 
certificate issued under subsection 1, paragraph A or B, the school administrative unit 
shall for at least the first yeaF 2 years of employment or longer if determined to be 
necessary, and, for a conditional certificate issued under subsection 1, paragraph C, the 
school administrative unit shall for at least the first year of employment, or longer if 
determined to be necessary: 
A. Ensure that the conditionally ce1iified teacher or edUQJ!tional specialist receives 
high-quality professional development that is sustained, intensive and classroom-
focused in order to have a positive and lasting impact on classroom instruction while 
teaching; and 
B. Provide a program of intensive supervision for the conditionally certified teacher 
that consists of structured guidance and regular ongoing support or a mentoring 
program, which is separate from any student-teacher requirement that may be 
required under another authority.' 
Amend the bill by striking out all of sections 3 and 4 and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 3. 20-A MRSA §13015-A is enacted to read: 
§13015-A. Peer support and mentoring system 
1. Purpose. The purpose of a peer support and mentoring system is to: 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" ft" to S.P. 264, L.D. 898 [ $-S'1) 
A. 
Provide strong support services and mentoring programs that are sustained, 
intensive and classroom-focused in order to have a positive and lasting effect on 
classroom instruction and develop good teaching and classroom management skills 
for teachers certified for less than 5 years and teachers with conditional certificates; 
B. Provide assistance to and review for all individuals who are candidates for a 
higher level certificate or who are teaching under a waiver of the requirement to be 
certified under this chapter; and 
C. Assist all teachers in becoming better teachers. 
A peer support and mentoring system is separate from local practices and procedures 
regarding the supervision and evaluation of a teacher for retention by a school 
administrative unit. The system must include opportunities for all educators to share, 
learn and continually improve their practices as educators in collaboration with peers. 
Peer support and mentoring must be formative in nature and be for the sole purpose of 
ongoing professional growth for educators.' 
Amend the bill by striking out all of sections 7 and 8. 
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 11. 
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or 
section number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment, which is the majority report of the committee, removes the 
requirement that a support and mentoring system must be approved by the Commissioner 
of Education, and it clarifies that the support and mentoring system is a peer support and 
mentoring system and that it must include opportunities for educators to share, learn and 
improve their practice in collaboration with peers, be formative in nature and be for the 
sole purpose of ongoing professional growth for educators. 
This amendment also removes the provisions of the bill on teacher preparation 
programs and salary supplements for approved support and mentoring systems for teacher 
certification and the appropriations for the Educators for Maine Program under the 
Finance Authority of Maine. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 04/17 /19 feac.. 
LD898 
LR 171(02) 
An Act To Provide for a Professional Wage and Support for New Educators 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment ''Ir' LS-5"1) 
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Current biennium cost increase - General Fund 
Future bie1mium cost increase - School Administrative Units 
This legislation requires local school administrative units (SAU's) to increase the minimum salary for certified 
teachers to $40,000 beginning in the 2020-2021 school year. The Department of Education has estimated the cost of 
this provision to be $10,000,000 for that school year. This amount does not include, and the bill does not address, any 
additional costs to SAU's to adjust salmy schedules for certified teachers whose salaries will be above the $40,000 
minimum in fiscal year 2020-21 when teachers whose salaries are below the $40,000 threshold will be increased to 
$40,000. The Governor's proposed budget for the 2020-2021 biennium, LD 1001, includes a General Fund 
appropriation of $10,000,000 in fiscal year 2020-21 for the cost of increasing the minimum salary for certified 
teachers to $40,000 per year. 
This bill requires the Department of Education to detennine the amount of state funds necessary to fund 100% of the 
increase in the minimum salary for teachers in fiscal year 2020-21, 66% of the increase in fiscal year 2021-22 and 
33% of the increase in fiscal year 2022-23 and rep01t those amounts to the Joint Standing Conunittee on Education 
and Cultural Affairs no later than December 15, 2019. The bill also provides that the committee shall rep01t out a bill 
to the Second Regular Session of the 129th Legislature to provide the necessmy funding. Unless the required funding 
for fiscal year 2020-21 is approved and enacted by the 129th Legislature, either in the 2020-2021 biem1ial budget or 
other legislation, the full cost of this measure will be borne by SAU's. For any future fiscal year that the State does 
not fund the additional cost of this minimum salary requirement SAU's will be required to fund 100% of the cost. 
The increase in salmies as a result of this legislation will increase the employer contribution for the normal cost 
component of the Maine Public Employers Retirement System (MainePERS). That rate for teachers for fiscal year 
2020-21 is 4.16%. When this rate is applied to the projected increase in teacher salaries the additional amount SAU's 
will have to pay to MainePERS for the nonnal cost of teacher retirement is estimated to be $416,000 in fiscal year 
2020-21. 
LRO 171 (02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1