Your Raise Explained

Raises for April-August & Beyond

Your union will begin negotiations with APS soon. Raises are coming, but there are still issues with obtaining equitable raises for all the members of the ATF Bargaining Unit. That’s because teachers’ minimum 3-Tier salaries are guaranteed in law to be $50/60/70K for next school year.

We have been advocating for this increase for years and we are celebrating this advancement. Unfortunately, much smaller raises have been funded for most Essential & Related Services Educators (E&RSEs) and highly experienced teachers.

We want to clear up some rumors you might’ve heard about the raises. First, the 7% guaranteed raise is NOT “on top of” the Tier minimums. Although that would be nice, the 7% is subsumed within the Tier bump raises. Another rumor is that “all teachers will receive a $10,000 raise.” While that is a talking point some people are using, it is not true.

Here’s how the legislature approved the raise roll out:

It may be helpful to think of the raise process as a 4 step roll out or 4 different pots of money.

Pot of Money 1:

Sometime after April 1^st, all educators will receive a 3% raise for the 4^th quarter of the 2021-2022 School Year. That means you will receive a raise based on your current base salary divided by 4 (because there are 4 quarters in a fiscal year) x 3%. You can find your current base salary by downloading the Negotiated Agreement (https://atfunion.org/answers-docs/), scroll to page 93.

Here are some examples of how this might work for a Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 educator:

The NM PED has recommended that districts pay the 3% in a lump sum. We will let you know what APS plans. Keep in mind that all earned income has taxes and benefits taken out.

As of April 1, 2022, your base salary will have increased by 3%. You can calculate your “new base salary as of 4/1/22” by multiplying your original base salary for SY 2021-2022 x 1.03.

Based on the examples above, the base salaries at the end of the 2021-2022 school year will look like this:

Pot of Money 2:

At the beginning of School Year 2022-2023, you will receive a 4% raise to your base salary. You can find this amount by multiplying your “New Base Salary as of 4/1/22” by 1.04.

Here is what this will look like for the three sample educators:

In the budget passed by the NM Legislature, this is as far as some educators will go if they are not part of the state’s 3-Tier Teacher Licensure system or a PED licensed Level 3 counselor.

For teachers who have vast amounts of classroom experience, the 7% raise may push them over the new tier minimum threshold. Beyond that, the new raises do not guarantee further advancement on the pay schedule. But, once again, your union is the entity that will be fighting for you.

So, do not give up hope for a larger raise than the amount provided in statute. See “Pot of Money 4” because, if you know anything about your union, we fight so that No Educator Is Left Behind.

If you are not currently a member of the ATF, but you believe that all educators should receive equitable raises, you should join your union today!

Pot of Money 3:

Most teachers- and counselors who hold Level 3 state-issued licenses- will then benefit from the next pay increase which promises to take teachers’ minimum salaries to $50/60/70K.

Pots of Money 2 & 3 will be implemented at the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year.

Pot of Money 4: Up for Negotiation

The budget passed by the legislature and signed by the governor assigned $10.1 million to school districts across the state to pay for district-identified staffing needs. The language mentions “hard to staff” positions. We don’t know how much of this money APS will receive or how much will be earmarked for the ATF Bargaining Unit, but we know it’s not enough.

You should know that your union will be fighting to get every penny of any available funding into to the pockets of educators to make raises more equitable for E & RSEs and our veteran teachers who have done and continue to do so much for students and this district.

In summary, we hope this breaks down a convoluted process. The underlying message is: Let’s stand together to advocate for all our licensed colleagues to obtain the raise they have earned for their dedication to this district and our students.

We build our power at the negotiating table and show our unity through union membership. So, once again, if you are not yet a member, it is important to you and or your friends/colleagues that you stand in solidarity and join your union today at atfunion.org.

Extended Learning Time Program (ELTP) & K-5 Plus Schools

Educators working at ELTP schools will continue to be paid for their 10 additional days of service (at their new hourly salary) and will receive an additional average 3% raise.

Educators working at K-5+ Plus schools will continue to be paid for their 25 additional days of service (at their new hourly salary) and will receive an additional average 3% raise.

The charts below give examples of the new minimums for educators at these schools. The numbers were given to us from APS and are meant to be used as examples. This is important to note because your union will be working to negotiate the best salaries possible.

New Minimums for Teachers at ELTP and K-5+ Schools

Level 1 Teacher

Level 2 Teacher

Level 3 Teacher