Maine state government salary
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This page describes the compensation, salaries, and benefits that Maine's public employees receive from state and local government.
Elected officials salaries
| Office | '10 Salary | Current Official |
|---|---|---|
| Governor | $70,000 | Paul LePage |
| Attorney General | $83,844 | William Schneider |
| Secretary of State | $92,248 | Charles Summers Jr. |
| Treasurer of State | $83,844 | Bruce Poliquin |
The salary of Maine's governor ranks 50th among U.S. governors' salaries. The average salary earned by U.S. governors is $128,735. The median salary earned by U.S. governors is $129,962.[2]
Legislators' salary
Maine state legislators make $13,852 per year for first regular session and $9,661 per year for second regular session.[3] Legislators also receive $38/day housing, or mileage and tolls in lieu of housing (up to $38/day) plus $32/day for meals.[3] Per diem limits are set by statute.[4]
Judicial salaries
| Position | '09 Salary | Current Justice |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice | $138,294 | Leigh Ingalls Saufley |
| Associate Justice | $119,476 | Joseph Jabar |
| Associate Justice | $119,476 | Donald Alexander |
| Associate Justice | $119,476 | Jon Levy |
| Associate Justice | $119,476 | Warren Silver |
| Associate Justice | $119,476 | Andrew Mead |
| Associate Justice | $119,476 | Ellen Gorman |
The salary of Maine's chief justice ranks 39th among U.S. chief justices' salaries. The average salary earned by U.S. chief justices is $155,230. The median salary earned by U.S. chief justices is $151,284.[5]
The salary of Maine's associate justices ranks 47th among U.S. associate justices' salaries. The average salary earned by U.S. associate justices is $151,142. The median salary earned by U.S. associate justices is $145,984.[5]
State and local employees
According to 2008 Census data, the state of Maine and local governments in the state employed a total of 102,812 people.[6] Of those employees, 68,424 were full-time employees receiving a net pay of $238,495,641 per month and 34,388 were part-time employees paid $24,146,291 per month.[6] More than 54% of those employees, or 56,31 employees, were in education or higher education.[6]
The Maine State Payroll is posted in searchable form on MaineOpenGov. A searchable database of local government salaries is also found at MaineOpenGov.[7]
Teacher Salaries
The cost per student in Maine is $13,454, it is the 15 highest cost in the nation.[8] Maine's school system is currently $788 million in debt.[8]
In Maine, how teachers are assessed and rewarded varies from school district to school district and largely depends on negotiations with teachers unions. [9]
| Beginning Teacher Salary | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| $38,523 | $48,627 |
Maine teachers participate in the Maine State Employee and Teacher Retirement Program.
State employee benefits
Employees of the State of Maine receive many benefits. Benefits make up between 35% and 44% of state employee overall compensation in 2009, depending on the department in which they worked.[11]
Insurance
Health The State of Maine offers employees enrollment in its HMO health insurance plan.[12] It includes prescription drug coverage.[13]
Dental Dental insurance is available to full or part-time employees, with the State contributing $13.29 biweekly for full-time employees.[14]
Vision Although the health insurance includes some vision coverage, employees may add supplemental vision insurance and have a choice among several plans.[15]
Long Term Care Insurance Employees have the option of purchasing long term care insurance.[16]
Paid time off
Vacation Commonwealth employees receive 11 1/2 vacation days per year.[17]
- New Year's
- Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday
- Presidents Day
- Patriot's Day
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Columbus Day
- Veterans Day
- Thanksgiving
- The Day After Thanksgiving
- Christmas
Other Leave 11 Shutdown days per year. UNPAID
Retirement
Employees may also participate in a deferred compensation plan.[18] Employees also contribute to Maine Employee Retirement System.[19]
As prescribed in Maine’s constitution, the state has been funding the Maine Public Employees Retirement System (MainePERS) in amounts equal to the annual required contributions calculated according to Governmental Accounting Standards Board rules since 1998.[20]
MainePERS asset-to-liability level is only 67.7% for current pension plans, with the plan’s funding ratio also suffering from investment losses.[20] Currently, the pension plan has $8.3 billion of assets to cover the $12.3 billion of pension benefits promised.[20] Federal law considers a pension plan “endangered” when its funding ratio falls below 80 percent.[20] A study by the Institute for Truth in Accounting has said that Maine taxpayers have lost on average 3,000 in 2010 because of nvestment losses at PERS.[21]
Other benefits
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Employee Assistance Program - a separate program from the mental health benefits available under the health insurance plan[22]
Additional reading
- Public employee salary
- See sample transparency legislation at the Sunshine Standard
External links
References
- ↑ The Council of States Governments The Book of States 2010 Table 4.11
- ↑ ‘‘The Council of State Governments,’’ “The Book of the States: 2008”
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 National Conference of State Legislators 2010 Legislator Compensation Data
- ↑ NCSL, 2012 Compensation Data, Accessed June 12, 2012
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The National Center for State Courts, "Judicial Salary Resource Center" as of Jan. 1, 2010
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 2008 Maine Public Employment U.S. Census Data
- ↑ MaineOpenGov.org
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Maine Watchdog, Education Spending Per Child, July 6, 2010
- ↑ Bangor Daily News, New teacher evaluations, bonus pay included in $16M project, Sept. 2, 2011
- ↑ [2011-01-01T00%3A00%3A00Z%20TO%202012-01-01T00%3A00%3A00Z
- ↑ MaineOpenGov.com Benefits:% of Total Compensation
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ State Employee Health Commission
- ↑ Dental Insurance
- ↑ Vision Index
- ↑ Long Term Care Insurance
- ↑ State Holidays
- ↑ Deferred Compensation
- ↑ MERS
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 Maine Watchdog, Retirement System Endangered, June 30, 2010
- ↑ Maine Watchdog, Taxpayers Lose $3,000 Each, June 30, 2010
- ↑ Employee Assistance Program
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