The Lincoln County Republican Committee met Wednesday, Sept. 29 in Newcastle. Guests spoke on various issues affecting Maine and Lincoln County. Al Cohen of Big Al’s Super Value spoke about the challenges he faces as a Maine business and his.
AP
Social studies teacher Logan Landry looks over the shoulder of seventh grader Simone Moore as she works on a project while seated next to a cutout of Elvis Presley at the Bruce M. Whittier Middle School, Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, in Poland, Maine.
The Maine House of Representatives has approved a measure requiring that all public school workers, from teacher aides to kitchen staff, be paid a minimum wage of $16-an-hour. Under current law, the minimum salary for teachers is $40,000 a year.
In one of the closet votes of the session, the House gave initial approval by a margin of of 73-71. Supporters argued that school workers are underpaid and deserve a minimum wage that will incentivize them to remain in those positions. Portland Democrat Mike Sylvester supported the bill.
AUGUSTA The Maine House and Senate voted March 11 to advance a bill sponsored by Representative Scott Cuddy, D-Winterport, ensuring certain educational technicians are not required to pay into the Maine Public Employee Retirement System (MePERS) and can instead collect social security, according to a March 15 news release.
“Maine faces a shortage of educational technicians,” said Rep. Cuddy. “Fortunately, not all of these positions require certification for them to work. That is true for people at the first level of ed tech authorization. These folks, who often work other jobs that already allow them to collect social security, should also be allowed to do so as ed techs. We need to be streamlining employment opportunities for these critical workers instead of making their benefit system more complex and cumbersome.