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This color indicates active hyperlinks to documents or other pages Tuesday, January 31 Legislative Hotline Proposed House Budget Has 5% Raises! The draft General Appropriations Act (House Bill 2) that will likely be reported out of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee (HAFC) today will have only a recommended 5% salary increase for most school employees. This represents a reduction from the amount recommended by the House Education Committee (HEC) (see below) (but an increase one half percent above that recommended by the Legislative Finance Committee) when it presented its budget to the committee last week. We need to let legislators know that this is the year to prioritize school employee salaries! The proposed budget increases by a total of $394 million with $182 million (8.6%) slated for public schools. That's 46% of the new dollars proposed for public schools. More details will be available on Monday when the bill be likely be reported out of committee. While this is a healthy increase (more than the past few years), it is still inadequate in a year in which there are at least $541 new dollars available for appropriations. Legislators need to think less of protecting the future by squirreling away money and more of protecting the future that is in our state's classrooms today! Take Action Now!
Follow this link to ask legislators to improve the draft budget of the HAFC It is likely that this budget will pass the House today or tomorrow. Then the attention will shift to the Senate. There is still $147 million in recurring revenues available for appropriation. $54 million dollars would be required for an 8% raise. Only $18 million would be required to reach the Governor's goal of a 6% raise. The message to Senators must be: The future can be better protected by paying for the need in our state's classrooms today. Put less in reserves and more in our schools! Bill to Make Retirement More Difficult for New Employees Moves Out of Committee Senate Bill 206, sponsored by Senator John Arthur Smith, would make it harder for new employees to retire. Currently employees are eligible to retire after 25 years of service or when their years of service and age equal 75, the so-called Rule of 75. This bill proposes a Rule of 80 as requirements for those who choose this retirement option for new employees. We oppose any change that increases the disparity between ERA and PERA members or any change that makes new employees second class citizens with inferior benefits to current employees. Follow this link to Send an Email to Your Legislator About Protecting Educational Retirement! New Mexico Education Partners Announce Petition Campaign Yesterday at the State Capitol, the New Mexico Education Partners (a coalition of education organizations, including NEA-NM, AFT NM, the NM PTA, the New Mexico School Boards Association, and the New Mexico Coalition of School Administrators) delivered “Flashback Baskets” to key legislators with items from 1982 to remind them that this was the last year New Mexico educators ranked in the top half of national salary rankings. This action at the State Capitol takes place in conjunction with a petition drive and other grassroots efforts underway across the state in support on the New Mexico Education Partners’ historic proposal for a $271 million dollar increase in education funding. This investment would move New Mexico back into the top half of the national salary rankings for the first time since 1982. The Education Partners’ proposal would also allow New Mexico to attract and retain the best teachers and staff, helping to move New Mexico’s schools forward with a team of education professionals, small class sizes and up-to-date facilities and technologies.
Links to Help You Craft Your Message and Send Emails to Legislators
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