SANTA FE, N.M. – New Mexico House lawmakers spent Monday afternoon debating a $10.8 billion state budget proposal before eventually sending it off to the Senate.

This year’s budget is nearly 6% higher than last year. Still, it keeps roughly a third of the state’s revenue in reserves for lawmakers to rely on in case of extra federal funding cuts.

Some of the big line items include a 4% pay raise for all public school workers and raising all teacher salaries by a minimum of $5,000.

There’s also roughly $155 million allocated for housing and homelessness, and hundreds of millions for several state trust funds.

“Not only are we able to prioritize and make new investments, we’re able to pass on and give future legislatures the ability to continue making new investments,” state Rep. Nathan Small said. 

Not everyone is happy with this budget though.

Leaders with the Children, Youth and Families Department asked lawmakers for an extra $64 million in recurring costs to hire much-needed staff members and increase foster family stipends.

State lawmakers are only giving CYFD a fraction of that.

“I think there just seems to be a disconnect in the trust and really understanding what’s needed and I can completely understand it’s been problematic for so long. I think they’ve heard a lot of things over the years that are going to get fixed and they haven’t seen that materialize. And so I think there’s a lack of trust in getting that done. But you know, some of these problems we really can fix if we get the appropriate staffing levels in there,” CYFD Secretary Teresa Casados said. 

There is a chance the Senate could add in extra funds. With public safety, behavioral health and the budget largely out of the way, though, state lawmakers are now shifting their focus to issues like education.

180-DAY SCHOOL CALENDAR

A House committee unanimously approved a bill challenging the governor’s 180-day school year plans. The governor believes all New Mexico students need to be in class five days a week for a minimum of 180 days each year. The bill leaves it up to the districts, many of which prefer going four days a week.

SCIENCE OF READING CURRICULUM

Meanwhile, the Senate approved making the “Science of Reading” curriculum the official teaching strategy in New Mexico.

This bill essentially requires all New Mexico teachers to learn and teach structured literacy techniques to students. The philosophy has already boosted reading scores for some students.

A bill increasing New Mexico’s alcohol taxes also cleared another hurdle Monday morning.