Sen. Deschambault receives high marks for education record

AUGUSTA — Sen. Susan Deschambault, D-Biddeford, received high marks from the Maine Education Association for her voting record on education issues. Sen. Deschambault is one of 22 state senators to earn high marks for their 2021 voting records from MEA.

“Even in normal times, our Maine schools, teachers and staff have challenges to overcome,” said Sen. Deschambault. “In Augusta, I committed myself to helping ease the burdens placed on our education system by the pandemic. Going forward, I’ll continue to support our Maine educators because they work so hard to teach the next generation of Mainers and open up opportunities for them.”

This year, Sen. Deschambault championed efforts to fully fund education at 55 percent for the first time in the state’s history since it was mandated by voters in 2004. Sen. Deschambault also voted in favor of bills to ensure a good starting wage for school support staff including education technicians, school librarians and career and technical education teachers. Making sure these hardworking professionals are paid a fair wage will help schools attract and retain quality workers. 

Sen. Deschambault also supported legislation to help at-risk students receive their high school diplomas. The law, sponsored by Sen. Nate Libby, D-Lewiston, aims to prevent barriers like housing instability, domestic violence, substance abuse, mental health issues and homelessness from keeping students from graduating high school. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, people who earn a high school diploma make on average $8,000 more per year, as opposed to those who did not receive a high school diploma.

For higher education, Sen. Deschambault voted for the resolve to re-establish the Commission to Study College Affordability and College Completion. Among other duties, the Commission will study the Maine college affordability gap, review the average debt incurred by students graduating from the University of Maine and Maine Community College Systems and examine the average debt incurred by students who begin but do not complete their studies within the previously mentioned higher education systems. In the State of Maine, there are 182,000 student borrowers, and the average student loan debt is $33,352.

MEA represents 24,000 Maine teachers and advocates for policies and investments that ensure that educators’ voices, values and priorities are heard and respected both in the workplace and at the State House.

Sen. Deschambault remains committed to fighting for Maine students, teachers and school staff in the Legislature.

The complete Maine legislative scorecard from MEA can be found here.

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