Senator John Ryan

For Immediate Release Sunday, February 14, 2010 Contact: 986-4702

Outstanding Students are Goal
Of Rewarding Outstanding Educators
Merit System to be Studied and Designed


Santa Fe—In its desire to increase student achievement in New Mexico, the State Senate voted to study ways to reward educators who have outstanding results in the classroom.

“We are looking for incentives to encourage good teachers to be outstanding so they can produce outstanding students. Those teachers who go the extra mile, who have remarkable results in the classroom should be rewarded, those who fail our students should be fired. Now, there is not a mechanism to do that,” Senator John Ryan said.

The Senate voted to request that the Public Education Department (PED) study mechanisms to reward teachers who demonstrate outstanding teacher practices that result in outstanding student academic performance and improvement; and then design a merit pay program for teachers and principals who are successful.

Senate Memorial 38 requests that PED work with educators and teachers union in designing the system which is to be given to the legislature by next session.

In addition to improving student achievement, Senator Ryan said designing a merit system is also necessary because PED has applied for an approximately $200 million dollar grant to pay for education reform and innovation in the classroom from the federal government through the “Race to the Top” grant program that requires the merit based study.

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