Maine Teachers Union calls for higher taxes
The Maine Teachers Union met Tuesday night with more than 200 teachers and several members of the Maine Legislature at the Augusta Civic Center to discuss their options to deal with a $34 million decrease in state aid to schools.
They could start by not holding expensive meetings to talk about it, or running ad campaings designed to scare you into submission.
Not surprisingly, their well thought-out answer was to call on the Maine Legislature to raise your taxes.
Interestingly, the three teachers quoted in the article were all music teachers…Some highlights from their interviews, accompanied by their 2009 salaries, exclusive of benefits. *source, MaineOpenGov.org:
“Without increased revenue, we will be forced to make drastic cuts,” Patti English, a Winthrop music teacher – 2009 Salary, exclusive of benefits: $51,816
“The cuts to funding of education will send the state backwards,” said
Larry Morrissette, a Maranacook High School music teacher – 2009 Salary, exclusive of benefits: $54,532
I’ll let you decide what’s motivating these desperate pleas to raise your taxes…
Find all school employee salaries and school spending information on MaineOpenGov.org.
The Educational Debate Heats Up | Pine Tree Politics
Posted on Jul 08, 2010
[...] efforts more than a few times, though they eventually gave a little ground. They have called for tax increases in a tough economy. The MEA lobbied hard against budget cuts when there was no money to prevent [...]