Education
In the 21st Century, education is the essential function for prosperity for every Maine citizen and our state. My vision for investing in people, building infrastructure, and focusing on key economic sectors gave rise to important education initiatives. My goal is every Maine citizen to begin school ready to learn and graduate with the skills ready to succeed.
- The Local Schools, Regional Support (LSRS) Initiative shifts resources from administration to the classroom to achieve excellence in education for all Maine students.
- We increased starting teacher pay to $30,000 over two years. We need to recruit and retain excellent teachers to support quality education for students.
- We increased the state share of education funding to 50%, and will increase to 55% by fiscal year 2009-2010. That's $291 million additional state dollars, with more to come. The increased aid provides every student with the resources needed for success and can replace property taxes raised for education.
- We created the Maine Community College System to make higher education more accessible and affordable. Enrollment is up over 47% in three years. Southern Maine Community College is the fastest growing community college in the country.
- We've invested $47 million in research and development at the University of Maine System. These investments provide educational opportunities for graduate students and product design and business development for the Maine economy
