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Links to: Find and Contact Your Legislator Session Calendars and Schedules
Session Dates The Legislative Education Study Committee's 2006 Bill Analysis and Short (Blurbs) Education Bill Descriptions LESC Bill Analysis for 2006 Regular Session (FTP Site) |
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This color indicates active hyperlinks to documents or other pages Wednesday January 25 Legislative Hotline The public school budget began its journey through the legislature Monday, January 23, when the House Education Committee (HEC) recommended passage of House Bill 3, the Education Appropriations Act. House Bill 3, as it was originally written, funds a general fund increase of $165.8 million or 7.9 percent over FY06 appropriations. Notable items contributing to this increase include $16.5 million in enrollment growth, $3.2 million in fixed costs, $24.2 million for insurance as well as $13.5 million for an increased employer contribution to the Educational Retirement Board. With regard to compensation, the bill includes $81.7 million for an average 4.5 percent salary increase for all school personnel including transportation employees, $7.5 million for implementation of the$45,000 minimum salary for level 3 teachers after the salary increase, and $3.7 million for an additional 5 percent salary increase for educational assistants. $4.8 million is also included in the bill for fully funding elementary fine arts. The HEC amended House Bill 3 with increases totaling $41.7 million primarily by mandating a 6 percent salary increase for teachers, a 9.5 percent salary increase for educational assistants and an average 6 percent salary increase for all other educational employees including transportation employees. Additional increases are attributed to an increase of $3.5 million in categorical costs for school bus replacements. With the amendments added in the HEC, the measure has most of the recommendations of the the Legislative Education Study Committee budget intact, but still falls far short of the amounts requested by the New Mexico Education Partners. It contains a recommendation for a 6% salary for all school employees except education assistants, who would get a 9.5% increase under the measure. The proposal now moves to the House Appropriations and Finance Committee (HAFC) when HEC Chair Representative Rick Miera makes his committee's report on the recommended public school funding measure on Tuesday, January 24 at a 3:00 PM hearing. The proposal will then become a part of the General Appropriations Act as that measure is crafted by the HAFC over the next few days. Many members of the HAFC also sit on the interim Legislative Finance Committee, which has recommended a much lower funding level for public schools, including only a 4.5% salary increase for most school employees. Now is the time to let all members of the House and these two committees know that all the recommended budgets fall short of what is really needed to provide adequate funding for public schools. Ask HEC and HAFC members as well as your own Representative, to fund the New Mexico Education Partners recommendations, including the average 8% salary increases! Budget Overviews The major part of the state public school appropriation goes to local school districts school equalization guarantee monies. That appropriation, contained in the General Appropriations Act (know as House Bill 2), funds the basic operations of school districts. The various proposals currently under consideration are summarized below:
House Bill 3 after action by the House Education Committee The
New Mexico Education Partners and NEA-New Mexico have recommended: The
Legislative Education Study Committee has Recommended: Governor
Richardson has Recommended: The
Legislative Finance Committee has Recommended: Links to Help You Craft Your Message Follow this link to Materials from the 2006 Joint Legislative Training. Click on this link for our funding message kit. Click on this link for a PowerPoint presentation on our retirement message! Follow this link for sample messages on funding and retirement! Follow these links to contact Your Representative and Senator Use the links below to contact legislators now. Follow this link to tell Legislators to Support 8% salary increases and adequate funding! Send a message asking legislators to support an 8% average salary increase for all categories of school employees and the funding recommendations of NEA-NM and the New Mexico Education Partners. Some legislators plan to propose harmful changes to educational retirement! Send early messages encouraging legislators not to try to "fix" what isn't broken! Follow this link to Send an Email to Your Legislator About Protecting Educational Retirement! Legislation will once again be introduced to include instructional support providers and educational assistants in tiered licensure systems with minimum salaries attached. Both of these efforts are long-time goals of our joint legislative platform and goals. Click on this link to ask legislators to provide salary equity to all education employees. Ask legislators to provide minimum salaries and tiered licensure systems for Educational Assistants and Instructional Support Providers.
Find and Contact Your Legislator
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