STATE News:

SANTA FE — House Bill 62, sponsored by Majority Floor Leader and Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton (D-Albuquerque), Rep. Andres Romero (D-Albuquerque), Rep. Willie Madrid (D-Chaparral), Rep. Debra Sarinana (D-Albuquerque), and Rep. Joy Garratt (D-Albuquerque), was heard Thursday in the House Education Committee.

House Bill 62 creates a fund through which PED can establish a formal mentorship program help school districts and individual schools support educators and help them succeed.

“New Mexico is facing a crisis in our schools, particularly in our rural areas,” Rep. Williams Stapleton said. “The data is clear; a teacher is most likely to leave the classroom inside of their first 3 years of teaching. This bill helps stem the loss of our teachers by establishing a fund that supports a system of formalized mentorship giving teachers what they need to be the qualified educators our kids deserve.”

“As an educator and former mentor teachers, I understand the importance of providing incoming teachers with mentoring resources to succeed in their profession,” Rep. Debra Sarinana said. “A new teacher who can regularly consult with a mentor for honest feedback and guidance is more likely to stay in the profession and contribute to the high-quality education each of our students deserve and need.”

Data indicates that the greatest proportion of teachers leave the teaching profession in their first 3 years of teaching. A formal teacher mentorship program helps stem the loss of New Mexico’s teachers – an issue impacting students throughout the state – by providing beginning teachers with the supports they need to become experienced and qualified teachers. House Bill 62 creates a fund through PED to provide school districts and schools the resources they need to implement mentorship programs.

House Bill 62 passed unanimously out of the House Education Committee and will be heard next in the House Appropriations and Finance Committee.