Short answer
How do Maine teachers renew a certificate and move up the salary schedule?
A Maine professional teacher certificate runs five years and renews with six semester hours of approved study or 90 hours of in-service training relevant to your work, earned during the term. Teachers in a public school renew through their school administrative unit (SAU), where the Local Credentialing Committee verifies the hours. Pay lanes come from each district's bargained agreement.
Source: Maine Department of Education, Chapter 115 Part I rule. Checked .
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How do you renew a Maine professional teacher certificate?
State law makes the professional teacher certificate a renewable credential (20-A M.R.S. §13013), and the details sit in the State Board of Education's Chapter 115 rule. The Department of Education's certification requirements page lists the current Part I rule, and that rule text sets these terms:
- Term. The certificate is renewable for five years. A teacher who holds National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification renews for 10 years.
- Requirement. Six semester hours of approved study or 90 hours of in-service training "relevant to the work of the teacher in the field," completed during the term of the certificate.
- Freshness. The hours may not have been used before to renew the same certificate and must be earned within the five years before the renewal.
- Teaching others. Up to half of the requirement may be met by developing and delivering in-service training.
- Route. If you are employed by an SAU, renewal must be processed through the SAU. If the SAU does not verify you, the rule allows an appeal to the Commissioner under State Board Rule Chapter 119.
The rule's definitions set the conversions. One contact hour is an hour in a training or study program approved by the SAU or the Department, and "15 contact hours is equivalent to 1 credit semester hour." For continuing education units, 1.5 CEUs equal one semester hour. Six semester hours and 90 contact hours are therefore the same amount of study, and you can combine them.
The Department's certification FAQ adds practical detail. Contact hours are "professional development hours," training done in or outside school that relates to your profession. The renewal button in your online account does not appear until six months before the expiration date. Teachers not employed at a school submit the six college credits or 90 contact hours with the renewal application.
The renewals page says a credential can be renewed if it has not been expired for more than six months; after that, you apply for a new credential. It also notes that public school teachers have a Support Chair who recommends them for renewal, and that districts "may have additional expectations." Transcripts and contact-hour records are uploaded as PDF documents.
Ask your Local Credentialing Committee before you enroll. Under Section 9 of the rule, each SAU's committee "will preapprove course work of professional development" for renewal, keeps a cumulative file of your approved hours, and recommends renewal of all your certificates and endorsements. Our pre-approval forms guide covers what to send.
For how semester hours, contact hours and CEUs compare across states, see clock hours, CEUs and semester credits and the license renewal hub.
How do Maine teachers move to a higher salary lane?
Maine has no statewide teacher salary schedule. The state sets a floor: each school administrative unit "shall establish a minimum salary" for certified teachers (20-A M.R.S. §13407), and each SAU reports to the Department by October 1 how many teachers are eligible for incremental increases. Everything above the floor is bargained. The municipal labor relations law requires a school employer and its bargaining agent to confer on "wages, hours, working conditions and contract grievance arbitration" (26 M.R.S. §965).
That leaves room for very different designs, and the two agreements below show the range. Lewiston uses a familiar degree-based grid with three lanes. Portland replaced degree lanes with a five-lane schedule that teachers climb by earning approved salary contact hours, with college credit counted at 15 hours per credit. In both, the deadline to signal a move falls in the school year before the raise. For the general sequence of a move, see how lane changes work; for the math, see lane change payback.
What do Portland and Lewiston require?
Portland Public Schools
Read the full Portland guide →
The 2025-2028 agreement with the Portland Education Association pays on a Professional Learning Based Salary System of five lanes. New hires are first placed on a "shadow" schedule with four degree lanes, then moved to the matching salary on the professional learning schedule.
- Lane moves: 3 years and 180 salary contact hours (SCH) for Lanes 1 to 2 and 2 to 3; 4 years and 225 SCH for Lanes 3 to 4 and 4 to 5.
- Units: one college credit equals 15 SCH and one CEU equals 10 SCH; credits and CEUs must be "related to student learning and educator practice." National Board certification earns 225 SCH.
- Review: proposals go through Vector to a review team of educators and administrators; the Superintendent or designee approves or denies.
- Required course: each lane change needs one 3-credit course or approved district course in a listed area of need, such as ESL, special education or trauma-informed practice, taken within five years.
- Deadlines: in the year before the move, submit proposals by October 1 and document the hours by January 10. Lane changes happen only on September 1, with "no retroactive lane changes."
Lewiston Public Schools
Read the full Lewiston guide →
The agreement with the Lewiston Education Association, September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2027, pays on three lanes: BA/BS, MA/MS, and CAS/PhD/EdD.
- Notice: to move "one training step higher" at the start of a contract year, a letter of intent must be on file with the Superintendent by March 1 of the previous school year.
- Effective date: the new lane applies once a copy of the degree or "acceptable proof of attainment" is on file, retroactive to the start of the year or January 1, never before the degree date.
- Two master's degrees: place a teacher on the CAS/PhD lane at the start of the year, with the New Degree notification form by March 1 and official transcripts.
- Reimbursement: courses must be relevant to the teacher's field and approved in advance, in writing, by the Superintendent.
Full district guides for Maine
Before you enroll
- Find your expiration date. Count six semester hours or 90 contact hours earned within the five years before renewal and not used for this certificate before.
- Get Local Credentialing Committee pre-approval. Your SAU's committee pre-approves coursework for renewal and keeps your cumulative file.
- Check your district's salary rules separately. In Portland, a separate salary contact hour proposal is needed; in Lewiston, the lanes follow degrees, so a degree or acceptable proof of attainment is what moves pay.
- Mark the salary deadlines. October 1 and January 10 in Portland; March 1 in Lewiston, a school year ahead of the raise.
- Keep PDFs and official copies. The Department takes PDF uploads; Lewiston's two-master's lane needs official transcripts. See transcript deadlines.
The provider directory groups semester-credit providers by need, and the comparison table shows their costs and formats side by side.
Maine questions teachers ask
How many hours do I need to renew a Maine teaching certificate?
Six semester hours of approved study or 90 hours of in-service training relevant to your work, earned during the five-year term. Chapter 115 treats 15 contact hours as one semester hour, so the two can be combined.
Who approves my renewal hours in Maine?
If you work for a school administrative unit, renewal goes through that SAU. Its Local Credentialing Committee pre-approves coursework, keeps a cumulative file and recommends renewal to the Department.
Can I renew a Maine certificate after it expires?
The Department's renewals page allows renewal if the certificate has not been expired for more than six months. After that, you submit an application for a new credential.
Does National Board certification change Maine renewal?
Yes. Chapter 115 sets a 10-year renewal period for teachers who hold National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification. In Portland, it also earns 225 salary contact hours.
How many salary contact hours is a college credit worth in Portland?
15. The 2025-2028 agreement counts one college credit as 15 SCH and one CEU as 10 SCH. Moving up one of the first two lanes takes 180 SCH and three years.
Sources
- Chapter 115 Part I, Certification, Authorization and Approval of Education Personnel, Maine Department of Education. Checked
- Certification requirements, Maine Department of Education. Checked
- Renewing your credentials, Maine Department of Education. Checked
- Certification FAQs, Maine Department of Education. Checked
- 20-A M.R.S. §13013, Professional teacher certificate, Maine Legislature. Checked
- 20-A M.R.S. §13407, Minimum salaries, Maine Legislature. Checked
- 26 M.R.S. §965, Obligation to bargain, Maine Legislature. Checked
- PEA contract, September 1, 2025 to August 31, 2028, Portland Public Schools and Portland Education Association, listed on the district's collective bargaining agreements page. Checked
- CPE collective bargaining agreement 2024-2027, Lewiston School Committee and Lewiston Education Association, listed on the district's human resources page. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error