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Senate committee backs changes to teacher-residency stipends and service rules

Senate Education · February 13, 2026

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Summary

The Senate Education Committee recommended a do-pass for HB 30, which indexes teacher-residency stipends to entry-level teacher pay and expands flexibility on service locations to help recruit and retain educators, supporters told the committee.

Representative Serenana introduced House Bill 30, saying the bill aims to strengthen New Mexico’s teacher pipeline by making residency programs more attractive and sustainable. "Residency program is a one-year program where a soon-to-be teacher and an expert teacher work together for an entire year," Serenana said, and the bill would index residency stipends to a minimum Level 1 teacher salary.

Dr. Jesse Chenvin, chair of the New Mexico Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and a core member of the New Mexico Alliance for Teacher Residencies, told the committee the state has prepared more than 1,000 teachers through residencies since legislation began funding the programs in 2022 and that residency pathways now operate statewide. "We are really thinking of this as a workforce strategy for the state of New Mexico," Chenvin said.

Key provisions described by the sponsor and witnesses include indexing resident stipends to the minimum Level 1 teacher salary (cited in testimony as $55,000) and setting stipend percentages so residents without a bachelor’s degree receive a lower indexed percentage (testimony cited 65%) and residents with a bachelor’s degree receive a higher indexed percentage (testimony cited 80%). The sponsor said those adjustments are intended to make residency financially viable for career changers and others who cannot otherwise afford a year of intensive clinical preparation.

Supporters at the hearing included Mandy Torres of Think New Mexico, Marla Schoetz (registered lobbyist for the New Mexico Coalition of Education Leaders and the State Superintendents Association), leaders from NEA New Mexico and AFT New Mexico, and residency partners such as Teach Plus New Mexico and the Albuquerque Teachers Federation. Advocates stressed that residency graduates remain in teaching at higher rates, increase workforce diversity, and fill positions in high-need subjects and rural districts.

The committee took a do-pass recommendation on HB 30 and will send the bill forward for further consideration. The chair limited public testimony time because of the end-of-session schedule and said the committee plans to meet again Monday at 09:00.