Governor Janet T. Mills (D) Speaking at a Press Conference Recently.

Governor Janet T. Mills (D), the first woman governor of the state and its first woman AG, announced today that her Administration has awarded six schools a total of $985,000 to recruit, train and retain educators through pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship pilot programs.

The awards will be used to train nearly 200 new and existing educators in 12 counties across the state – with a focus on building pathways for multilingual individuals, people with disabilities and people of color and rural communities to increase representation among Maine’s education workforce.  The six institutions of education receiving awards are:

BRUNSWICK SCHOOL DEPARTMENT, $105,000; MSAD1/RSU# 79, $75,000; RSU # 34, $249,000; PORTLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS, $250,000; UNIVERSITY OF MAINE FARMINGTON, $144,000;  and the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MAINE, $165,000.

“As the daughter of a long-time public school teacher, I understand the deep and lasting impact that teachers have on their students, schools and communities,” said Governor Mills.  “Helping Maine educators advance and grow in their careers is not only good for them, but it is good for our students and can lead to better outcomes for everyone in the long-term.  I am pleased that we are putting funds from my Jobs Plan to use to help Maine schools find the teachers they need and support educators on the path to fulfilling careers as they make a difference in the lives of our children.”