An Act to Increase Teacher Salaries
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 1398
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: COLLINGS, JACKSON, BRENNAN, TALBOT ROSS, RAFFERTY
Amends: 20-A MRSA §13406, 20-A MRSA §13407, 20-A MRSA §13408, 20-A MRSA §15689

Legislative Document
No. 1398
H.P. 893
House of Representatives, March 28, 2023
An Act to Increase Teacher Salaries
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative COLLINGS of Portland.
Cosponsored by President JACKSON of Aroostook and
Representatives: BRENNAN of Portland, Speaker TALBOT ROSS of Portland, Senator: 
RAFFERTY of York.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §13406, as amended by PL 2019, c. 343, Pt. UU, §1, is 
repealed.
Sec. 2.  20-A MRSA §13407, as amended by PL 2021, c. 441, §1, is repealed.
Sec. 3.  20-A MRSA §13408 is enacted to read:
§13408.  Minimum salaries beginning in 2024-2025 school year
Using available federal funds, or, if federal funds are not available, using money 
provided by the State, each school administrative unit shall establish a minimum salary for 
certified teachers and career and technical education teachers as follows: 
1.  School year 2024-2025.  For the school year starting after June 30, 2024, the 
minimum salary is $42,500;
2.  School year 2025-2026.  For the school year starting after June 30, 2025, the 
minimum salary is $45,000;
3. School year 2026-2027. For the school year starting after June 30, 2026, the 
minimum salary is $47,500;
4. School year 2027-2028. For the school year starting after June 30, 2027, the 
minimum salary is $50,000;
5.  School year 2028-2029.  For the school year starting after June 30, 2028, the 
minimum salary is $52,500;
6.  School year 2029-2030.  For the school year starting after June 30, 2029, the 
minimum salary is $55,000;
7. School year 2030-2031. For the school year starting after June 30, 2030, the 
minimum salary is $57,500;
8. School year 2031-2032. For the school year starting after June 30, 2031, the 
minimum salary is $60,000.
9.  School years beginning in or after 2032.  For the school year starting after June 
30, 2032, the minimum salary for certified teachers and career and technical education 
teachers must increase by multiplying the amount of the salary by the cost-of-living 
adjustment.  For each subsequent year, the previous year's adjusted minimum salary for 
certified teachers and career and technical education teachers must increase by multiplying 
the amount of the adjusted minimum salary by the cost-of-living adjustment.  For purposes 
of this subsection, "cost-of-living adjustment" means the Chained Consumer Price Index 
for the 12-month period ending June 30th of the preceding calendar year divided by the 
Chained Consumer Price Index for the 12-month period ending June 30th of the calendar 
year in which the adjustment is effective and "Chained Consumer Price Index" has the same 
meaning as in Title 36, section 5402, subsection 1.
A school administrative unit shall provide to the department annually on or before 
October 1st the number of certified teachers and career and technical education teachers 
eligible for incremental salary increases as defined in section 15689, subsection 7‑A, 
paragraph A.
Beginning in school year 2032-2033, the municipality shall pay the costs of the 
minimum salary established in this section.
Sec. 4.  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.  Beginning in fiscal year 2020-21 
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 certified teachers and career and technical 
education teachers established in section 13407 13408.
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 $42,500 in school year 2019-2020 2024-2025.  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 2024-2025 necessary to meet the minimum salary requirements 
of section 13407 13408 from fiscal year 2020-21 2024-25 to fiscal year 2022-23 2031-
32.
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 13408 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. 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 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 2024-25 must 
be based on data submitted to the department and certified by school administrative 
units as of October 1, 2019 2023. 
C.  This subsection is repealed July 1, 2032.
Sec. 5.  Effective date. This Act takes effect June 30, 2024.
SUMMARY
This bill incrementally increases minimum teacher salaries beginning in 2024 using 
federal funds, if available, otherwise using state funds until 2032 and afterwards using 
municipal funds to pay for those increases.