On September 19, 2013, eight educational assistants traveled to Clovis, New Mexico to testify to the Legislative Educational Study Council (LESC).  They were invited to tell their stories about the work that they do in the classroom and the need for living wages for classified employees.

‘I work as a nursing assistant...the work I do matters to the students who depend on my care and I do it because I love it but it is unfair that after 15 years of employment I earn only $15,000 a year,” said Kathy Sanchez a health assistant for APS.

Angie Damon a Kindergarten Instructional Assistant from

DELEGATION OF EDUCATORS DELIVER THOUSANDS OF POSTCARDS TO PUBLIC EDUCATION DEPARMTENT SECRETARY-DESIGNATE HANNA SKANDERA

Yesterday, a delegation of educators delivered stacks of postcards to Secretary-Designate Skandera asking her to take advantage of a federal opportunity to give states more time to focus on the Common Core State Standards.  Since the start of the school year, thousands of educators and community members have signed post cards asking that Secretary-Designate Skandera hold off on high-stakes testing to allow them time to properly implement the common core state standards. The

For Immediate Release 9/11/2013                    Contact: Rebecca Maran: 505-307-8997

PUBLIC EDUCATION ADVOCATES FILE SUIT IN DISTRICT COURT AGAINST SECRETARY-DESIGNATE HANNA SKANDERA OVER THE NEW TEACHER EVALUATION RULE

Educators allege that Secretary-Designate violated her statutory authority by promulgating the PED’s teacher evaluation rule.

State House Representative Sheryl Williams-Stapleton, State Senator Linda Lopez, State Senator Howie Morales and a contingent of educators have filed a Petition for a Writ of Mandamus against Hanna Skandera, Secretary-Designate of the state’s Public

For Immediate Release 9/9/2013 

Contact Stephanie Ly 505-463-4867

AFT NM PRESIDENT STEPHANIE LY MEETS WITH U.S. SECRETARY OF EDUCATION ARNE DUNCAN IN SANTA FE

Educators seek support for implementing the Common Core State Standards and Building a World Class Education System for New Mexico

AFT New Mexico President Stephanie Ly met with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan this morning during the Secretary’s Southwest tour. In the meeting, she made it clear that our union has a plan to build a world-class education system.

In 2012, NM educators developed a vision and blue print for a NM world

For Immediate Release   August 15, 2013            

EDUCATORS ASK SECRETARY-DESIGNEE SKANDERA TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITY CREATED BY UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND DELAY HIGH-STAKES TESTING IN ORDER TO FULLY AND CORRECTLY IMPLEMENT THE COMMON CORE STANDARDS

Today, AFT NM and NEA NM delivered a letter to PED Secretary-Designee Hanna Skandera asking to give schools an opportunity to fully and correctly implement the Common Core Standards before the PED

On April 15^th, the Gallup-McKinley County School Board voted 5-0 to voluntarily recognize that it would bargain with the District's 285 Educational Assistants (EA’s).  But the School Board had a different story for the New Mexico Public Employees Labor Relations Board (PELRB). After agreeing publicly to recognize the EAs as part of the union, the District put a halt to the process at the PERLB indicating that the EAs had not yet proven that they deserved the right to bargain collectively.

“I have waited for years to have the right to bargain.  My coworkers and I make some of the lowest wages