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This color indicates active hyperlinks to documents or other pages Thursday, February 2 Legislative Hotline Act Now to Increase Salaries The draft General Appropriations Act (House Bill 2) about to be voted upon by the House has only a recommended 5% salary increase for most school employees. This represents a reduction by the House Appropriations and Finance Committee (HAFC) of some $18 million from the amount recommended by the House Education Committee (HEC) (but an increase of one half percent above that recommended by the Legislative Finance Committee). We need to let legislators know that this is the year to prioritize school employee salaries! In a year of an unprecedented $541 million in recurring revenues, House Bill 2 shortchanged education with only a 5% salary increase. In the House Appropriations and Finance Committee, on the SAME day that revenue projections increased by $12 million….SCHOOL EMPLOYEES SALARIES WERE SLASHED BY $18 MILLION! Ask House members to amend the budget! Take Action Now! Follow this link to ask legislators to amend the House Budget proposal now!
Bad Retirement Bill About to Hit Senate Floor! 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 the requirement new employees who choose this retirement option. This bill was moved to the Senate Finance Committee with no recommendation from the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday morning. This bad legislation will almost certainly be moved to the Senate floor from the Senate Finance Committee were Senator Smith is the powerful vice-chair. Let Senators know that is not fair to create a retirement system for new employees inferior to that afforded current employees and it is not fair further increase the disparity between educational retirement and that of other public 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 Ask Your Senator to Oppose Senate Bill 206.
Educational Assistant Career Ladder Bill in House Education Committee Wednesday Morning House
Bill 206-Educational Assistant Career Ladder,
introduced by Representative
Rick Miera, provides an EA
career ladder and minimum salaries: Level 1 $12,000; Level 2 $13,000;
Level 3 $15,000; Level 4 $17,000. The House
Education Committee. temporarily tabled the measure. This bill has also been introduced in the Senate by Senator Mary Kay Papen as Senate Bill 232.
Bill to Provide Education Support Providers With Licensure System and Minimum Salaries Introduced
House Bill 418, Instructional Support Provider Licensure, introduced by Representative Mimi Stewart amends the School Personnel Act to provide a licensing framework and minimum salaries for certain instructional support providers: Level 1, $30,000; Level 2, $40,000; and Level 3, $50,000; and appropriates $6.2 million from the General Fund to PED for FY 07 to provide the minimum salaries. Take Action Below to Support Both The Above Important Measures.
Click
on this link to ask legislators to provide salary equity to all education
employees.
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! 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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