The Legislative Education Study Committee has approved its list of endorsed legislation proposals for the upcoming 30-day session that begins in January.
The committee approved bills that include requiring all public school personnel be given a minimum annual salary of $30,000 or a minimum hourly rate of at least $15 an hour.
The committee also approved a bill that would create a Career Development Success pilot program and a corresponding fund for appropriations for the pilot.
This program would be a three-year pilot administered by the Public Education Department to provide financial incentives to school districts whose students earn industry-recognized credentials by completing qualified industry credential programs or qualified workplace training programs.
Sponsor Senate Minority Leader Craig Brandt says it will be a great benefit for students looking to go into a trade instead of going to college.
“It encourages the high schools to really focus on programs that can get kids a certificate so they can go and work at a job right out of high school,” he said. “I’ve talked to Don Chalmers Ford in Rio Rancho and they say ‘We’ll hire as many kids as you can get certified at the first level. They say they’ll pay for all of the other levels if they are a good employee. I have been hearing that from other employers, ‘If you can get that first certificate for them, they come in and show us they’re a good employee, we’ll pay for all the training they need.”
The committee also approved bills that would specify hourly training requirements for all school board and charter governing council members.
School board members in their first term and newly appointed governing council members would be required to attend 10 hours of training in their first year. All other members would be required to attend at least five hours of annual training.
Another bill would establish requirements for standards-based administrator preparation programs.
The bill would require the Public Education Department (PED) to establish, by rule, criteria for such that include specific evidence-based standards, including a full academic-year and paid residency.