Every employer in Maine needs workers who are well educated and capable; nimble thinkers and problem solvers for jobs right now and in the future. And we all have a vested interest in ensuring every Maine student grows up to fulfill their highest potential, moving successfully into the world of work.

As a business-led education organization, Educate Maine champions career readiness and the educational attainment of Maine people, throughout life — from early childhood through adulthood. During the past decade, we have been a MaineSpark leader, working toward the state’s educational attainment of 60% of Maine adults having a credential of value by 2025. Now that our target is within reach, we must double down on our commitment to achieve this milestone.

Our indispensable partners are those in federal, state and local governments. The private sector works hard to support workforce development. But neither the private sector nor government can work alone when it comes to the crucial work of educating and preparing our students for their futures in a robust Maine economy.

That’s why Educate Maine has played an active role this legislative session speaking out on important public policy measures that support moving the education attainment needle forward.

Here are three major issues areas policymakers should prioritize in the closing days of this legislative session.

• Child care: Without child care, parents cannot go to work. We must build up the fragile child care sector of Maine’s economy. Major legislative accomplishments in the 2021 and 2023 sessions helped bring the sector to the point of sustainability and stability. Rolling those successes back by cutting child care funding, as some are proposing to do in the pending budget, will hurt working parents and their families, our businesses and our economy. Any proposed budget cuts to Maine child care should be rejected. Other legislation, some with little to no public costs, should also be supported. These include provisions to improve and streamline the Department of Health and Human Services payments to providers, increase quality and training for the field and improve access and referral supports for parents.

• Increased pay for Maine teachers: Our Legislature is trying once again to pass increased minimum salaries for Maine teachers, and should press this issue until the task is complete. Maine teachers’ salaries rank the lowest among New England states and 37th nationally. In 2022, more than 1,300 teachers, education technicians, administrators and other educators in Maine left their jobs, and more than half of them did so in June or August. The state also reported that 927 educators retired. In both cases, the totals are the most in the past seven years. If we want to keep high-quality teachers in the classroom, we must compensate them for their training, skills and dedication to educating our children.

• Continued investments in postsecondary institutions: Maine must prioritize continued investments in our postsecondary institutions to ensure high school graduates have high-quality college and career programming right here in Maine. This includes extending free community college — an invaluable gateway for lower income and first-generation students. Investments should also embrace career pathways in skilled trades training, credentialed workforce programs and apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships.

For elected officials who care about Maine’s future, education should always be a priority.