Low pay hurts teacher recruiting, retention in New Mexico
A new report by the Legislative Education Study Committee says New Mexico is lagging when it comes to teacher pay, and that’s hurting efforts to recruit and retain educators around the state.
Meanwhile, an expert told lawmakers on the committee, teacher salaries nationwide are failing to keep pace with earnings in other professions. As a result — particularly in rural and low-income states like New Mexico — prospective teachers are increasingly looking into other career fields.
New Mexico ranks 43rd in the nation for teacher pay levels, according to the report released Wednesday. While the national average pay for teachers is $58,064, New Mexico teachers earn $47,163, the report says. The state’s teachers rank about midway in pay compared to educators in six other Southwestern states. Teachers in Oklahoma, for example, earn an average of $44,921 — a low for the region — while teachers in Nevada earn $56,943, the region’s high.
“In general, teacher compensation is not keeping up with compensation in other professions … which is impacting our ability to attract and retain teachers,” Richard Sims, chief economist for the National Education Association, told lawmakers on the Legislative Education Study Committee during a hearing at Los Alamos High School.
Read more: http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/education/report-low-pay-hurts-teacher-recruiting-retention-in-new-mexico/article_c658f6bb-fc46-57bb-a979-21ab04882efa.html