LEWISTON — A slate of 14 candidates running for seats in Maine’s Legislature homed in on education Wednesday during a forum hosted by the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn College.

Forum topics ran the gamut from the candidates’ thoughts on nontraditional students to the ever-increasing cost of higher education and student debt load.

Candidates spoke to an audience of about 40 on the need for traditional college programs but also focused on the need to train workers for available jobs and the growing shortage of workers in specific fields.

While the 12 Democrats and two Republicans who attended the event had varying suggestions and ideas on what the state currently does and what it needs to improve when it comes to higher education, there was little disagreement that more affordable higher education that’s also made more accessible to Maine residents is part of any formula for economic growth and job creation.

Several of the candidates spoke about their personal educational experiences. Some are still currently going to college. Some pursued traditional pathways to a college degree but several would be today characterized as “nontraditional” students.

Bettyann Sheats, a Democratic candidate running for House District 68, which includes much of Auburn, said growing up the daughter of a science teacher, she never knew college was not an option for her.

She said all family conversations about her future dreams always entailed the disclaimer from her parents that could occur “after college.”

“I did not know it was optional and I think that was a great benefit to me,” she said. Sheats was appointed to West Point, which upon graduation, came with a commitment to serve as an officer in the U.S. Army.  Sheats served for eight years, becoming a helicopter test pilot.

“That was a challenging way to pay for my college education, but it was also a very valuable experience for me personally,” she said.

One of the highest barriers for students today is cost and many are leaving college with huge amounts of education-related debt, Sheats and several others noted.

Sheats said the total amount of student loan-related debt in the U.S. now exceeded the country’s total credit card debt.

Sheats’ opponent, Republican incumbent Rep. Mike Beaulieu, was not in attendance.

Others agreed aspiration for higher learning and keeping costs affordable are important. But accessibility is also critical, said John Cleveland, a former Auburn mayor and the Democratic candidate for State Senate District 15.

Cleveland worked his way through college but to complete his degree he needed to travel to Portland and Gorham, which added time and costs to the endeavor.

He said as mayor he worked with leaders in Lewiston and the Legislature to bring a campus to the Lewiston-Auburn area, saving students commuting time and costs.

He said online learning was serving a growing segment but not all learning can occur in a virtual setting.

“The Internet plays a role but you need real teachers and real classrooms and real interaction,” Cleveland said.

Cleveland’s opponent, incumbent Republican Sen. Lois Snowe-Mello, was not in attendance.

Robert Reed, a Republican candidate running for Lewiston’s Senate District 15 seat, said that higher learning was an important part of his family’s life. He credited his mother’s hard work and push for higher education for freeing his own family from poverty.

Still, Reed said that a traditional liberal arts college was not going to be for everyone and that schools that offered technical skills would be the best choice for many Mainers.

A ready, available and technically skilled workforce would be key to drawing more industry and jobs into Maine, Reed said.

He also said Maine needed more cooperation between private business and public schools and training institutions for things such as internships, apprenticeships and work studies. 

Getting more students into their selected fields of studies for real-world practice was an inexpensive way to build skills, he said.

It also allows students to determine if they are on the right career path, Reed said.

“Take people who might have an interest in a specific career, give them 90 to 180 days to try it out and find out if they like it,” he said. “See if they have the attitude, aptitude and the desire for that position after seeing what it’s really like.”

Reed is running against Democratic incumbent Sen. Margaret Craven.

Craven, who was also at the forum, said the demand for high-tech engineers was a huge opportunity for Maine and public institutions should be recruiting and graduating more engineers. 

“The state of Maine graduates 50 high-tech engineers every year but really there is a capacity for 100,” she said.  She said building that available high-tech workforce would entice companies to relocate to Maine and create jobs here.

But at present Maine is “short of people being trained in high-tech jobs,” Craven said.

sthistle@sunjournal.com

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