us-regions Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham now backs a $15 minimum wage for educationworkers.
“I did get word five minutes before this hearing that the executive does support the $15 an hour minimum,” state Education Secretary Kurt Steinhaus told legislators during a joint meeting of the state House and Senate on Friday.
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A budget proposal from Lujan Grisham to the Legislature earlier this month had called for a $15 minimum wage for state workers, but not for school workers.
Kindergarten teacher Lilia Matos and her student Jesus Mendez stand outside their classroom on the first day of in-person learning at Heliotrope Avenue Elementary School.
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
In a call with reporters on Jan. 7 touting a proposal to raise licensed educationsalaries by as much as 22%, Lujan Grisham said that school districts already had the capability to fund $15-per-hour salaries saying: “It is within the reach of the school districts. And frankly, they just need to do it.”
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Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Nora Sackett confirmed the governor’s support for the $15 minimum Friday.
Inflation, the infectious-diseasepandemic, and other stresses on the labor market are driving wage growth including in low-wage jobs that education” target=”_blank”>schools <district, just over $12 per hour.
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electionsSenate Majority Leader Peter Wirth has said he supports the $15 minimum wage for public employees in state government and at public schools.
