How much do the biggest districts pay their EAs?

Abill that would increase the statutory minimum salary of $12,000 for educational assistants to $25,000 is gathering steam in the Roundhouse.

To be clear, the average salary for educational assistants is about $22,000, but almost 30% of them make under $20,000. So what exactly do the largest districts in the state offer as starting pay for their educational assistants?

In many cases, said public officials and education assistants alike, pay plays a factor in whether EAs stay in the job. According to a 2022 vacancy report by New Mexico State University, the second-most vacant positions among educators were educational assistants — with 446 vacancies — coming behind only teachers.

“Our turnover is tremendous, because they are shocked when they get their paychecks,” said Cyndi Garcia, an educational assistant at Mark Twain Elementary School in Albuquerque.

There are 89 school districts in New Mexico, and even more charter schools. Here are some of the top-enrolled districts in New Mexico, according to state Public Education Department data, how many educational assistants they employ, and how much their base salaries are.

In all, these districts employ around 3,900 of the state’s 5,467 public school educational assistants.

■ In Albuquerque Public Schools, starting pay for educational assistants is $17,843. That’s based on a 183-day, 6½ hours per day work schedule. The district employs 1,767 educational assistants.

■ Las Cruces Public Schools did not answer all questions about annual salaries and work schedules of its educational assistants. According to salary schedules listed online, base pay for educational assistants is $15.15 per hour, and an outdated bargaining agreement had them working for seven hours per day. The district’s

instructional calendar has educators working roughly 180 days.

The district did tell the Journal that it has 489 educational assistants.

■ Rio Rancho Public Schools starting pay for educational assistants is $21,375. They work 190 7½-hour days. There are 313 educational assistants across the district, though Rio Rancho’s 20 health assistants make more.

■ Gadsden Independent School District’s starting pay for its educational assistants is $15.95 per hour — though for library assistants, early childhood assistants and several others, it’s slightly more. Educational assistants work 190 days, 7 hours per day. All told, there are 333 educational assistants in the district.

■ Gallup-McKinley County Schools starts pay for its educational assistants at $21,630 for 184, 7½-hour work days. The district has 248 educational assistants.

■ Santa Fe Public Schools’ 205 educational assistants are paid at least $18,900, although the district’s 122 educational behavioral health associates and nurse aides start pay at $21,735. Educational assistants work 180 days, roughly 7 hours each, per year.

■ Educational assistants in Farmington Municipal Schools are paid a minimum of $22,387 per year. The district’s 267 educational assistants work 185 days a year, 7½ hours a day.

Hobbs Municipal Schools educational ■ assistants — which number around 260 — are paid a minimum of $20,066. They typically work 191, 7-hour days per year.