Nov. 21 Smartboard [The Santa Fe New Mexican]

Nov. 20—Santa Fe school board calls on state to shoulder more health insurance costs

The Santa Fe school board voted unanimously on Nov. 10 to call on the Legislature to implement and fully fund the "80/20 rule" for employee health insurance.

Under the rule, employees would pay a maximum of 20 percent of their insurance premiums, regardless of salary or position, with the state paying the other 80 percent. Implementing the rule would provide parity for public schools with the state General Services Department and Albuquerque Public Schools, according to the Santa Fe district's weekly newsletter. Currently, Santa Fe Public Schools pays an average of 60 percent of employee insurance premiums, with the employees covering 40 percent.

The National Education Association's New Mexico chapter is pushing to adopt the rule statewide; NEA-Santa Fe President Grace Mayer brought the resolution forward to the board.

Implementing the rule for Santa Fe would cost the state about $6 million a year, the board said.

Santa Fe Community College announces glass sale

If you're excited about the International Year of Glass, Santa Fe Community College has you covered.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 7 and 8, the college's Glass Club is hosting a glass sale for the holidays offering "ornaments, platters, bowls, sculpture, jewelry, functional and non-functional pieces," according to a news release. Visitors can have a drink while shopping and learning about glassmaking, with prices on items ranging from $15 to $500.

The sale will be held in the main hallway at Santa Fe Community College, 6401 Richards Ave.

Santa Fe school board gets state award

The New Mexico School Boards Association informed the Santa Fe school board on Thursday that it will be getting the state association's Large District School Board of the Year award.

The board will be honored at the NMSBA's annual awards luncheon at noon on Dec. 2 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Albuquerque.

"Our SFPS Board is truly fabulous and it's wonderful to be recognized," board President Kate Noble said in a statement "Every member is focused on doing the best work we can for students, and on supporting the incredible staff in the district. We make an effort to operate without drama, and with clarity and transparency. Huge thanks to our friends at NMSBA, our superintendent and his team, and to everyone in our school community, we are honored."

One of the accomplishments cited was the board's passage of a staffing crisis resolution in November 2021 "which brought the Santa Fe community's attention to the critical need to support, attract and retain a quality teaching force," the district said in a news release. The board says this led the Santa Fe City Council and county commissioners to pass supporting resolutions, "marking a unique moment of agreement among the three governing bodies."

The board also pointed to the legislative priorities it adopted for 2022, including no cuts to education and 10 percent raises for educators, many of which were fulfilled. And, it cited the partnership it entered into earlier this year with the Santa Fe Housing Action Coalition to address teacher housing issues.

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