EDUCATION
Stansbury hopes new bill will boost teacher salaries at tribal schools
Pay often lags behind neighboring public school districts, Rep. says
Published
New Mexico Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury is co-sponsoring a bill that she hopes will help tribally controlled schools get more funding from the federal government to pay teachers more.
New Mexico has one of the highest concentrations of tribally controlled schools in the 近距离内射合集 States, and these schools are funded via the U.S. Bureau of Indian Education, rather than the state Public Education Department, which funds New Mexico鈥檚 public and charter schools.
鈥淏ecause the BIE has traditionally been underfunded in the federal budget, these schools have gone without sufficient funding for students to provide all of the necessary services,鈥� Stansbury said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 meant that chronically, especially in BIE-controlled schools, that teachers are underpaid, especially with respect to teachers in adjacent school districts.鈥�
New Mexico鈥檚 45 BIE-funded schools often face challenges with recruiting and retaining teachers, who can often get paid more working at a public school district, she said.
鈥淔amilies want to make sure that their kids have the opportunity to get a really good education,鈥� Stansbury said. 鈥淎nd if the school that serves them is BIE-funded and they, for example, don鈥檛 have enough teachers, that ultimately may determine whether or not a family feels like they can either stay in a community while their kids are school-aged.鈥�
If it passes, the bill will authorize a yearlong study of the Indian School Equalization Formula, the mechanism through which BIE-controlled schools are funded. The study will establish a compensation standard for teachers to bring them up to par with average teacher salaries across the country. New Mexico鈥檚 average teacher salary is $68,440, according to data from the PED.
In 2022, New Mexico $10,000 raises for teachers, though those at tribal schools were not included in the legislation, because their salaries are determined by the federal government.
鈥淭ribally controlled schools and Bureau-operated schools have had to find ways to adjust because if we don't, then there is that risk of losing teachers to other schools,鈥� said Christie Abeyta, superintendent of the Santa Fe Indian School.
Abeyta said the school tries to provide teachers with other benefits like free meals when there isn鈥檛 enough money for salary increases.
鈥淭here have been times in history where teachers, educators, faculty members, staff in general didn鈥檛 see an increase for five or six, seven years, but the commitment from the staff and their love for their students kept them here,鈥� she said.
Stansbury is co-sponsoring the bill, a bipartisan effort named the Indigenous Students Excel through Parity Act, with Rep. Michael Guest, a Mississippi Republican.
New Mexico Democrat Sen. Martin Heinrich is leading the companion bill in the Senate, along with Sen. Cynthia Lummis, a Republican from Wyoming.
鈥淚 am honored to co-lead the ISEP Act with Congresswoman Stansbury,鈥� Guest said in a statement. 鈥淥ur students deserve access to a quality education.鈥�
Natalie Robbins covers education for the Journal. You can reach her at nrobbins@abqjournal.com.
