Teachers returning to classrooms in New Mexico this fall will see the first significant pay raise in several years.

As of July 1, all teachers in public schools, regardless of their tier level, will receive at least a $10,000 raise.

Whitney Holland, president of the American Federation of Teachers-New Mexico, was elected after teaching for nearly a decade. She has advocated for what she calls a "living wage" because she remembers how difficult it was to make ends meet when she began teaching in 2012.

"So when I started, I made $32,000, and that was hard," Holland recounted. "Now our beginning teachers will make $50,000, and that's pretty significant. It's competitive to the regions around us, and it's competitive to other professions."

The annual salary for "tier two" level teachers will now be $60,000 a year, while teachers at "tier three" will see salaries jump to $70,000. According to the governor's office, the raises make New Mexico the highest-paid education system in the region, higher than Arizona, Colorado and Utah.

In addition to pay increases, Holland pointed out newly passed legislation will lay the groundwork to rebuild the education profession in New Mexico, by investing in the educator workforce to retain veteran educators and attract new educators to the state.

"We believe wholeheartedly, having fully staffed schools is exactly what our students deserve," Holland asserted. "All of this legislation is steps toward doing that and rebuilding those schools and having them fully staffed."

According to Holland, the pandemic not only decimated teaching positions in the schools but also created almost 2,000 vacancies for positions such as bus drivers, custodians, secretaries and others who help run the schools. New Mexico was the only state to call on members of the National Guard, Army and Air Force troops, to substitute teach due to pandemic-related absences.

The Every Library Institute has just released a report contending the Republican Party's conservative agenda outlined in the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 takes aim at places where students can read, discover, and explore.

Conservatives call it a matter of accountability. Montana's public libraries hold almost 4.5 million items and the state library association said people visit an average of 4.5 times during the year.

Peter Bromberg, associate director of the Every Library Institute, said Project 2025, a 900-page strategy to overhaul the federal government, would take direct aim at libraries and the people who work there.

"Librarians and teachers are highly trusted and well known and well-loved in their communities," Bromberg pointed out. "It's really kind of a shocking and extreme attempt to twist our democratic society and our institutions into more of a totalitarian theocracy."

Republicans have said librarians need more accountability for what is on their shelves. A bill in Alabama, which would have criminalized librarians for allowing content defined as "obscene," narrowly missed becoming law this year. A similar measure has already been filed for next session.

Bromberg noted Project 2025 promotes book bans, restricts LGBTQ+ content and undermines the intellectual freedom and the inclusivity libraries are known for. He added it would ultimately threaten a student's educational quality and could presage the end of libraries serving as open and inclusive spaces for people who want to learn, especially when it comes to book bans.

"That's the bad news," Bromberg explained. "The good news is Americans are increasingly becoming aware of what's happening and organizing. And it doesn't often take very much in terms of organizing and pushback on -- whether it's school boards or county councils -- to get the books back on the shelves."

Project 2025 goes well beyond libraries. It would reshape the federal government and consolidate executive power should Donald Trump win this year's presidential election.


get more stories like this via email

Educators in Massachusetts say the MCAS high school graduation requirement is disproportionately affecting English language learners, the fastest growing student population in the state.

Failure to pass the required English, math and science tests means students do not receive a diploma, which can limit future college and career opportunities.

Kellie Jones, director of bilingual education for Brockton Public Schools, called it a barrier to students' civil rights.

"They're being identified as failures by the state," Jones contended. "I don't see English language learners as failures."

Jones noted a proposed ballot initiative for November would ask voters to keep the tests in place but allow students who fail to still receive a diploma if they have passed their required courses. Opponents of the measure, including Gov. Maura Healy, argued it would lead to a lack of uniform standards statewide.

Massachusetts is one of only eight states still requiring students to pass a standardized test to earn a diploma. Roughly 700 students fail each year and the vast majority are English learners and students with disabilities. Many have had their education experiences interrupted and face housing and food insecurity.

Jones pointed out their MCAS scores fail to reflect the challenge of mastering a new language as well as academic content on a limited timeline.

"If the students are not yet proficient in English, they may not have an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge on this assessment," Jones explained.

Jones added there is a critical shortage of qualified teachers to handle the influx of English learners who have arrived over the past year. A report from the Annenberg Institute notes the number of students who never pass the MCAS is likely to increase as more arrive and a higher passing threshold for the English test takes effect in 2026.

The African American Museum in Dallas is offering a series of classes on African American history.

The classes are part of a national program called Freedom Schools, sponsored by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.

Association President W. Marvin Dulaney, Ph.D, said they're offering the classes because some state legislatures are limiting Black history taught in public schools.

"We're teaching freedom," said Dulaney. "We're preparing people to challenge the legislation by these 22 states that are trying to restrict the teaching of slavery, the teaching of the civil rights movement."

Classes are from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. The Freedom Schools series is also being taught in Florida and Illinois.

Dulaney said they hope to expand to more states.

The series is named after the original Freedom Schools developed during the 1964 Freedom Summer in Mississippi.

In the schools, Black students learned a school curriculum, as well as how to vote in the upcoming Democratic primary.

Dulaney said the courses will focus on eight topics of African American history.

"We're going to look at African history, slavery," said Dulaney. "We will look at the American Revolution, Civil War, Reconstruction, race relations in this country in the early 20th century. We'll look at the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Arts Movement and of course obviously we'll do the Civil Rights Movement."

Florida state officials ended Advanced Placement classes in African American history, claiming they were a form of indoctrination.

Dulaney said he hopes educators will use the curriculum in their classrooms.

The classes are free to students and teachers. Others are asked to make a donation to the African American Museum.





get more stories like this via email