An Act to Establish a Minimum Salary for Educational Specialists, Educational Technicians and School Teaching Professionals
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 1314
Committee: Labor and Housing
Sponsors: LIBBY, SAMPSON, RAFFERTY, STEWART, BRENNAN
Amends: 20-A MRSA §4015, 20-A MRSA §15689

Legislative Document
No. 1314
S.P. 532
In Senate, March 23, 2023
An Act to Establish a Minimum Salary for Educational Specialists, 
Educational Technicians and School Teaching Professionals
Reference to the Committee on Labor and Housing suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator LIBBY of Cumberland.
Cosponsored by Representative SAMPSON of Alfred and
Senators: RAFFERTY of York, STEWART of Aroostook, Representative: BRENNAN of 
Portland.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §4015 is enacted to read:
§4015.  Minimum salaries for educational specialists, educational technicians and 
school teaching professionals
1. Definitions.  As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the 
following terms have the following meanings.
A.  "Educational specialist" has the same meaning as in section 13001-A, subsection 
7.
B.  "Educational technician" has the same meaning as in section 13001-A, subsection 
8. 
C.  "School teaching professional" means a person who provides professional services 
to a school who is not an educational specialist; an educational technician; an 
administrator, as defined in section 13001-A, subsection 1; or a certified teacher or 
career and technical education teacher subject to the minimum salary requirement 
pursuant to section 13407. 
2. Minimum salary.  For the school year starting after June 30, 2024, and for each 
subsequent school year, the minimum salary for educational specialists, educational 
technicians and school teaching professionals is equal to 200% of the minimum hourly 
wage established in Title 26, section 664, subsection 1. 
3.  List of educational specialists, educational technicians and school teaching 
professionals.  A school administrative unit shall provide to the department annually on or 
before October 1st the number of educational specialists, educational technicians and 
school teaching professionals eligible for incremental salary increases as defined in section 
15689, subsection 7‑A, paragraph A.
Sec. 2.  20-A MRSA §15689, sub-§7-A, as amended by PL 2021, c. 441, §2, is 
further amended to read:
7-A.  Adjustment for minimum teacher salary, educational specialists, 
educational technicians and school teaching professionals.  Beginning in fiscal year 
2020-21, the commissioner shall, in accordance with this subsection, increase the state 
share of the total allocation to a qualifying school administrative unit by an amount 
necessary to achieve the minimum salary for certified teachers and career and technical 
education teachers established in section 13407.  Beginning in fiscal year 2024-25, the 
commissioner shall, in accordance with this subsection, increase the state share of the total 
allocation to a qualifying school administrative unit by an amount necessary to achieve the 
minimum salary for educational specialists, educational technicians and school teaching 
professionals established in section 4015.
A.  As used in this subsection, unless the context otherwise indicates, "qualifying 
school administrative unit" means a school administrative unit that the commissioner 
determines to have a locally established salary schedule with a minimum teacher salary 
of less than $40,000 in school year 2019-2020 or with a minimum salary of less than 
200% of the minimum hourly wage established in Title 26, section 664, subsection 1 
for educational specialists, educational technicians and school teaching professionals 
in school year 2023-2024.  As used in this subsection, unless the context otherwise 
indicates, "incremental salary increases" means the incremental increases in the salaries 
of certified teachers and career and technical education teachers employed by a 
qualifying school administrative unit in school year 2019-2020 necessary to meet the 
minimum salary requirements of section 13407 from fiscal year 2020-21 to fiscal year 
2022-23 and, for educational specialists, educational technicians and school teaching 
professionals, the incremental increases in the salaries of educational specialists, 
educational technicians and school teaching professionals employed by a qualifying 
school administrative unit in school year 2023-2024 necessary to meet the minimum 
salary requirements of section 4015, subsection 2 from school year 2024-2025 to 2025-
2026.  As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the terms 
"educational specialist," "educational technician" and "school teaching professional" 
have the same meaning as in section 4015, subsection 1, paragraphs A, B and C, 
respectively.
B.  The commissioner shall allocate the funds appropriated by the Legislature in 
accordance with the following.
(1)  The amount of increased funds provided to qualifying school administrative 
units under this subsection must be the amount necessary to fund the incremental 
salary increases specified in this subsection.
(2)  The number of certified teachers and career and technical education teachers 
eligible for incremental salary increases in a qualifying school administrative unit 
for a fiscal year must be based on the information supplied to the department 
pursuant to section 13407 in that fiscal year.  The number of educational 
specialists, educational technicians and school teaching professionals eligible for 
incremental salary increases in a qualifying school administrative unit for a fiscal 
year must be based on the information supplied to the department pursuant to 
section 4015, subsection 3 in that fiscal year.
(3)  The increased funds provided under this subsection must be issued to 
qualifying school administrative units as an adjustment to the state school subsidy 
for distribution to the certified teachers and, career and technical education 
teachers and educational specialists, educational technicians and school teaching 
professionals. Qualifying school administrative units shall use the payments 
provided under this subsection to provide salary adjustments to those certified 
teachers and, career and technical education teachers and educational specialists, 
educational technicians and school teaching professionals eligible for incremental 
salary increases.  The department shall collect the necessary data to allow the funds 
to be included in a qualifying school administrative unit's monthly subsidy 
payments beginning no later than February 1st of each fiscal year.
(4)  Funding for incremental salary increases in fiscal year 2020-21 must be based 
on data submitted to the department and certified by school administrative units as 
of October 1, 2019.
(5)  Funding for incremental salary increases for educational specialists, 
educational technicians and school teaching professionals in fiscal year 2024-25 
must be based on data submitted to the department and certified by school 
administrative units as of October 1, 2023.
SUMMARY
This bill establishes, starting with the school years after June 30, 2024, a minimum 
hourly wage for educational specialists, educational technicians and other school teaching 
professionals equal to 200% of the state minimum hourly wage.  As with the adjustment 
for minimum teacher salaries, this bill requires the Commissioner of Education, based on 
a list provided annually by each school administrative unit, to allocate funds provided by 
the Legislature to each school administrative unit necessary to fund the incremental salary 
increases.