New Mexico to offer equal pay to Native American teachers

By CEDAR ATTANASIO
Associated Press / Report for America

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico will begin to offer equal pay to dozens of Indigenous language teachers after legislation was signed into law Thursday. For years tribal members certified to teach languages like Zuni, Navajo, Apache and Keres haven’t been considered teachers under state minimum salary rules, which require a four-year degree. Universities don’t offer four-year degrees for most Native American languages. In New Mexico, they’re certified by tribes and approved by state education officials, earning as little as $14,000 per year under the title of “teaching assistant.” The law signed Thursday by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham now sets the minimum salary at $50,000.