When I look to Maine’s future, I think about the people — from the young students in high schools and the young adults in colleges, to the adults and parents acquiring new skills and training or switching careers in community colleges — who all want to get good jobs, pay their bills, buy homes and raise families in Maine.

Preparing the next generation, as well as helping the current one, will help us build, develop and grow a sustainable economy and a strong community. During my time in the Legislature, some of the best investments I’ve supported are the ones that allow Mainers to prepare for the careers of their choosing — whether it’s crafting, farming, fishing, logging, nursing, plumbing, teaching or writing.

Susan Deschambault Courtesy photo

Turning to this legislative session, my colleague Sen. Mattie Daughtry (D-Brunswick) has a bill that would promote career and technical education, something that the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology helps provide in our community. LD 680, “Resolve, To Reestablish the Task Force To Study the Creation of a Comprehensive Career and Technical Education System” would — as the title states — reestablish a task force to look at setting up a career and technical education system in Maine.

I support the task force because not everyone should have to take on high student debt at a college or university while they study or train for a rewarding career. Indeed, the system offers an alternative to a two- or four-year degree, saves prospective students thousands, if not tens of thousands, of dollars, and prepares the current and next generation to fill the job vacancies that we desperately need to fill.

Although the career and technical system will prepare Mainers for great careers, some students still choose to attend college. We need to support them, too. One bill that would not just support students, but also protect them, comes from my colleague Sen. Eloise Vitelli (D-Arrowsic). LD 1838, “An Act To Improve Student Access to Postsecondary School Transcripts and Diplomas,” would prevent public and private postsecondary schools from refusing to provide a transcript or diploma for a student if the student has outstanding debt owed to the school.

The practice, sometimes known as the “transcript trap” or transcript withholding, hurts students who are trying to pursue additional education or job opportunities. Students already invested so much in their educations — including taking on student debt — that schools shouldn’t be making it even harder for students to get ahead or get by. If we ban this practice in Maine, then our state will be all the more attractive for young people to move to or stay in.

Another bill that would help Mainers, particularly high school students and their parents, comes from local Rep. Maggie O’Neil (D-Saco). LD 1880, “An Act To Provide Textbook Cost Assistance for High School Students Enrolled in Early College Courses” would establish the Textbook Cost Assistance Fund in the Maine Department of Education.

In 2020, the average cost of a college textbook was $84. (In fact, a full-time, undergraduate student spends $1,240 on books and supplies each year.) High school students who plan to study at college will face steep costs associated with a higher education. At the very least, we should help them out now by making the textbooks they need to get college credits early affordable.

Although these bills won’t solve every problem with developing Maine’s workforce or supporting our students, they will get us closer. I look forward to continuing this work for the remainder of this session.

Susan Deschambault represents Senate District 32, Alfred, Arundel, Biddeford, Dayton, Kennebunkport and Lyman. She can be reached at Susan.Deschambault@legislature.maine.gov or 207-287-1515.