New Mexico Education Secretary Dr. Kurt Steinhaus

NMPED News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED) announced that the House of Representatives has approved a historic $3.87 billion budget for New Mexico public schools.

The budget provides funding to address the educator workforce crisis and unfinished learning along with continued investments to raise academic outcomes for Native American students, English learners, students with special needs, and students who are economically disadvantaged.

“We are incredibly grateful that these legislators understand the tremendous need for another significant investment in PreK through higher education and targeted programs to ensure equitable opportunities for every New Mexican child,” Public Education Secretary Kurt Steinhaus said. “The strong alignment between the executive budget request and the bill passed today in the House shows that our state believes in the capacity of our children to excel in the classroom and succeed in life if we provide the resources they need.”

The spending request is included in the massive appropriations bill, which the House approved on a 56-13 vote. It is an increase of more than $400 million (11.7 percent) over the current budget for schools. 

The budget would address the educator workforce crisis with $180.3 million to give all school personnel an average 7 percent pay increase and $76.7 million to raise teacher minimum salaries to $50,000, $60,000 and $70,000 depending on tier. Together, those changes would result in an average teacher salary of about $64,000.

Additionally, the budget would provide:

• $3 million for teacher professional development
• $500,000 to support teachers seeking National Board Certification.
• $5.5 million for Teacher Residencies
• $6 million for paid student teaching
• $5 million for loan repayment for teachers 
• $20 million for scholarships for teacher candidates

New Mexico’s chronic teacher shortage nearly doubled last year to 1,000 vacancies.

Other priorities in the funding bill include:

• $11.5 million for professional development for teachers in the Science of Reading to improve literacy in this state-sponsored Year of Literacy;
• $15 million to the Indian Education Fund for tribal education departments, tribal libraries and Native American language programs;
• $8 million to expand and sustain the state’s Community Schools initiative, which allows existing schools to implement specific strategies to provide students with whatever they need to be academically successful by leveraging community resources;
• $10 million to launch an integrated, statewide approach to high school Career Technical Education;
• $15 million for at-risk interventions, which are strategies to support students such as behavioral health, tutoring and family engagement.
• $10 million for emergency educational technology and IT staffing.

 The bill goes next to the state Senate, which could amend, approve or reject the measure in the remaining days of the 30-day legislative session, which ends at noon Feb. 17.