Kim Hubbard has been an education technician at elementary and middle schools in Oxford County for two decades, and year after year she has seen colleagues leave the profession because the pay is too low. Others, she said, work second or third jobs to make ends meet.
Hubbard and other educators have spent the past year pushing for the Maine Legislature to pass LD 974, a bill that would increase the minimum wage for ed techs and other school support staff.
“You expect us to assist in their education as well as to keep your children safe from attacks, report suspected abuse, be kicked, bitten and spit on, cover a classroom when the teacher is absent, and continue our own education to keep our certifications, all while presenting a positive outlook,” she told the education and cultural affairs committee. “Yet your school districts pay us less than a Walmart shelf-stocker.”
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