AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A day after union state workers filled the Maine State House, active and retired teachers are lining up to tell lawmakers they can’t afford freezes and other changes Gov. Paul LePage is proposing in his budget.
Friday’s hearing before the Appropriations Committee marks the third consecutive day public employees have massed in Augusta to speak out on provisions in LePage’s $6.1 billion, two-year budget.
Mary Richard of Bangor, who’s retired from teaching in Lincoln, says any cut in a Maine teacher’s pension is going to be a burden, given rises in the cost of living.
Grace Leavitt of Raymond, who teaches Spanish in Cumberland, says she’s never seen teachers so “demoralized and downtrodden.”
Issues of concern include increased retirement age, freezing cost-of-living increases and higher pension contributions.
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- Gov. Paul LePage speaks at a news conference at the State House Thursday, March 3, 2011, in Augusta, Maine. The governor wants to help reduce the state’s $4.3 billion budget shortfall by changing how Maine’s pension system is funded. State workers say they’re bearing the brunt of cuts that will hurt their retirements. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
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- State workers gather to oppose Gov. Paul LePage’s budget proposal during a rally outside the State House Thursday, March 3, 2011, in Augusta, Maine. The governor wants to help reduce the state’s $4.3 billion budget shortfall by changing how Maine’s pension system is funded. State workers say they’re bearing the brunt of cuts that will hurt their retirements.
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