NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Wednesday that her administration will be requesting legislators increase pay for all New Mexico education personnel by seven percent. The raise would reportedly increase pay for over 50,000 kindergarten through 12-grade educators and school staff across New Mexico.
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In a news release, the Office of the Governor states that the pay increase would include additional increases to base educator salary levels in New Mexico’s three-tier licensure system, raising minimum teacher salary levels to $50,000, $60,000, and $70,000.
Citing the National Center for Education Statistics, the seven percent raise and higher entry-level salaries for new teachers would make the state more competitive and increase the average educator salary to $64,000 and putting New Mexico at the level of the national average.
The salary increase would cost the state about $280 million. The plans for a pay increase comes as New Mexico faces an educator shortage. The 30-day legislative session opens on January 18, 2022.
