‘Who is supporting us?’: Educators’ confidence shaken after board decision, impasse – By Esteban Candelaria (Albuquerque Journal) / Aug 23, 2022
Copyright © 2022 Albuquerque Journal
At the end of last school year, which was one of the toughest in recent memory, social workers, counselors and hundreds of other instructional support providers got some encouraging news.
While negotiations were ongoing, Albuquerque Public Schools and the local teachers union announced that they’d agreed instructional support providers would receive the same minimum salaries as teachers, after many were left behind when lawmakers approved raises for teachers and some counselors earlier this year.
But last week, everything was thrown into limbo when the school board voted 4-3 to table the bundled package of changes to the negotiated agreement, citing a need for more time to address concerns, particularly with academic issues contained within the contract.
That vote, which came after educators resoundingly approved it earlier this month, prompted the Albuquerque Teachers Federation to declare an impasse with APS, meaning that negotiations are at a stalemate and litigation could be on the horizon.
