For Immediate Release:
Contact: Chris Nordstrum
(415) 601-1992
Chris.Nordstrum@nmlegis.gov
February 2, 2022
SANTA FE — Today, the Senate Finance Committee unanimously passed Senate Bill 1, Increasing Salary for Licensed Teachers, sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart (D – Albuquerque). SB1 raises the minimum salary for licensed teachers by an average of 20%.
“New Mexico is in a crisis when it comes to attracting teachers to our classrooms, then convincing them to stay invested in our communities. In the past year alone, teacher vacancies have nearly doubled as a growing number of educators retire from the classroom,” said Senator Stewart. “New Mexico’s teachers have been underpaid for decades. We have 22,000 teachers in this state. If we don’t pay the attention we owe them, we risk losing them.”
“This is history being made,” said Senate Finance Committee member Senator Michael Padilla (D- Albuquerque), just before the vote was taken to pass the bill.
If SB1 is enacted into law, the new minimum teacher salaries will be adjusted as follows:
• From $41 to $50 thousand for level 1 teachers;
• From $50 to $60 thousand for level 2 teachers;
• From $60 to $70 thousand for level 3 teachers and counselors.
SB1 next heads to the Senate Floor.
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