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Home > Data Center >Reporting Forms>School Finance> Minimum Teacher Salary Supplement

Verification of Minimum Teacher Salaries

Due by November 30, 2011

In 2011-12, the State will provide each qualifying School Administrative Unit (SAU) with the funding needed to raise salaries from the levels in locally established salary scales to the statutory minimum amount of $30,000.

A "qualifying school administrative unit" means a School Administrative Unit as defined in 20-A MRSA Section 1, subsection 26 or a Career and Technical Education Region as defined in 20-A MRSA Section 8301-A, subsection 6.

Pursuant to 20-A MRSA section 13406, each School Administrative Unit shall establish a minimum salary of $30,000 for certified teachers for the school year starting after June 30, 2007 and in each subsequent year. The requirement to pay the $30,000 minimum is not contingent upon receipt of the State's adjustment to subsidy.

The minimum salary law does not distinguish between full-time and part-time teachers. Full-time teachers must be paid a minimum salary of $30,000. The minimum amount may be prorated for part-time teachers in proportion to their full-time equivalency.

Verification of Minimum Teacher Salary Report Instructions:

The Minimum Teacher Salary Report is available for verification on the Maine Education Data Management System (MEDMS). The information used for this report is based on the staff data your unit(s) has entered into the MEDMS Staff Information Module.

Access the Report:

Personnel with the role of "SAU Admin" may access this report in the MEDMS information System by doing the following from the MEDMS Login Screen:

  1. Type in Username and Password to log on to MEDMS
  2. Under "Application" - select "Reports", then click "Go"
  3. Under "Action" - select "Portal", then click "Go"
  4. Click on "Superintendent Reports"
  5. Click on "Verify Minimum Teacher Salary"
  6. Under "Current Year" - select the current fiscal year
  7. Click on "Show Report"

Note: School administrative units that do not operate schools will have a blank report. School administrative units that do not have eligible staff being paid below $30,000 will have a blank report with the exception of part-time eligible staff who will appear on the report in order to calculate the full-time equivalent salary.

If you have a blank report, (in other words, there are no full- or part-time teachers listed on the report at all) you do NOT need to send the signed report to the Department of Education.

If you do not have a blank report please continue:

How to Verify the Report:

Please check that all of your unit's eligible staff are listed on the report and then review the following for each eligible staff:

  1. Salary For This Position (Entered by SAU staff)
  2. Days Scheduled (Entered by SAU staff)
  3. Hours Per Day (Entered by SAU staff)
  4. Days Times Hours (Calculation of days scheduled times hours per day for both part-time and full-time staff)
  5. Full-Time Rate (Reported Calculation of days scheduled times hours per day for a full-time person in that District - Entered by DOE Staff)
  6. Proration (Calculation of days time hours divided by full-time rate)
  7. Full-Time Salary:
    1. For a full-time person this amount would be the same as the amount in the Salary For This Position Column.
    2. For a part-time person this amount would be the Salary For This Position divided by the number in the Proration Column - which should result in the full-time salary amount.
  8. Amount Below Minimum (Calculated amount below the minimum for full-time position)
  9. Amount of Adjustment (prorated if part-time):
    1. For a full-time person this amount would be the same as Amount Below Minimum.
    2. For a part-time person this amount would be the Amount Below Minimum times the number in the Proration column - which should result in the prorated adjustment amount.

How to Correct Errors in the Report:

Click Here for Information on Correcting Errors in the Report

Eligibility Requirements for Staff and School Administrative Unit:

Click Here for Eligibility Requirements

How to Submit a Report After Correcting any Errors:

  1. Change orientation to LANDSCAPE
  2. Print a Copy of the Report
  3. Fill in Contact Name for any questions
  4. Superintendent must Sign the Report Verifying accuracy of information
  5. Fax a signed copy of the report to Paula Gravelle at 207-624-6791

Method of Payment to a Qualifying School Administrative Unit:

Once the eligibility and adjustment amount have been verified for each teacher and the total adjustment amount calculated for each school administrative unit, an adjustment to the unit's subsidy printout (ED 279) will be issued and payment included in the remaining monthly subsidy checks.

The adjustment to subsidy must occur on or before February 1st of each fiscal year. A provision in the law allows for receipt of additional State funds and payment of those funds to certified teachers without approval by the local governing body.

Method of Payment to Elgibile Certified Teachers:

The additional amount required for each certified teacher to meet the minimum salary requirements should be added to the locally established salary and distributed as regular salary in normal periodic pay installments. It is subject to all normal withholding requirements for tax and retirement purposes.

Collective Bargaining:

The law makes no reference to collective bargaining. Therefore, it does not change collective bargaining obligations that already exist, and adds no new collective bargaining obligations. For SAUs that have collective bargaining agreements that are effective through the 2011-12 school year or beyond and that cover salaries, there is no obligation to negotiate salary changes to take effect during the contract period, unless the collective bargaining agreement itself inlcudes such an obligation by its specific terms.

School boards and bargaining agents may mutually agree to engage in additional mid-term collective bargaining about salaries, if both parties elect to do so. The law does not require any change in salaries for teachers who are receiving salaries above the required minimum levels. Any changes to those would be through the collective bargaining process.

Where collective bargaining agreements are in effect for 2011-12 or beyond, and provide for salaries for some certified teachers that are below the statutory minimums, the law effectively supersedes those contract provisions that conflict with it. Salaries of affected teachers must be raised to the statutory minimum amount.

 

If you have any questions regarding the Minimum Teacher Salary Requirement Supplement, please contact Paula Gravelle at paula.b.gravelle@maine.gov or by phone at 207-624-6790.