House Committee Recommends Public School Budget

SANTA FE (AP) – The House Appropriations and Finance Committee today approved a measure that would allocate about 2.6 billion dollars for New Mexico’s public schools.

That’s an increase of almost 126 million dollars, or 5.2 percent. The proposal includes money for school districts to give an average 2 percent salary increases for teachers and school workers.

And it would increase employer contributions to a financially troubled education retirement fund and employer contributions to shore up a retiree health care program.

Some lower-paid school employees — such as educational assistants, custodians and food service workers — would get an additional one percent pay increase.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)