Sen. Rebecca Millett named 2016 Friend of Education by MEA

Maine Education Association President Lois Kilby-Chesley and Senator Rebecca Millett

AUGUSTA – Sen. Rebecca Millett, D-Cape Elizabeth, was named the 2016 Friend of Education by the Maine Education Association on May 23.

As Lead Senate Democrat and former Chair of the Legislature’s Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs, Sen. Millett has worked extensively on educational issues. In 2016, she sponsored a bill to streamline the local school budgeting process, giving local taxpayers more options in how to deal with fluctuating state funding. The bill was approved by the Legislature and is now law. She also authored and advocated for legislation to increase teacher starting salaries to $40,000 as a way to address the looming teacher shortage in Maine, enhance teacher training programs and provide new teachers with the resources necessary to thrive in their first years in the classroom. Her bill to kick start the implementation of community schools passed in 2015 with the pilot schools set to begin this coming fall. Many children face challenges in and outside the classroom. Community schools surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.

“Supporting Maine’s schools, students and teachers is vitally important for our students and for Maine’s future,” said Sen. Millett. “I’m honored to be recognized as one, but I also can’t imagine not being a friend of education.”