Bill to make teachers state workers goes to task force

Kennebec Journal, March 29, 2007

(excerpt) The Education Committee voted to create a commission Wednesday to study making all Maine public school teachers state employees.

A resolve to create a commission and give it two years to study and report on the possibility of making teachers state employees received a 6-2 "ought to pass" endorsement by the panel.

Sponsor Rep. Randy Hotham, R-Dixfield, said if the state, not local schools, paid teachers salaries and benefits, it would greatly relieve the local property tax burden. Making teachers employees of the state could also free up local school boards to concentrate on core educational issues, rather than contract and other employment issues with teachers. The move also would make it easier to create parity in teacher pay and maybe even make it easier for some parts of the state to attract and keep quality teachers, Hotham says.

"It would seem it could be a tremendous burden taken off the local property tax rolls," Hotham said. "I don't mean to take any local control away."

Issues the commission would be expected to examine, according to the text of the bill, include creating parity in pay, health-care and retirement benefits between teachers and state workers; the possibility of the state paying salaries and benefits of teachers, and identifying a source of funding to do so; addressing the shortage of teachers in some geographic areas, in some subject areas; and exploring property tax savings.