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An 11th-hour reversal by New Mexico lawmakers will give the state's teachers about $25 more per paycheck.

After the Senate removed a 1 percent raise from the state budget, the House of Representatives restored the increase hours before the session ended last month.

Whitney Holland, president of the American Federation of Teachers-New Mexico, said it might sound like a small amount but it can help pay for groceries or the co-pay necessary for a student's field trip fee.

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"For a working person, $25 per paycheck makes a difference," Holland pointed out. "I filled my gas tank this morning and that was roughly $25. It helps."

In addition to teachers, the 1 percent raise applies to police officers, firefighters and other public employees. The average teacher salary is around $46,000 nationwide and currently ranges from $50,000 to $55,000 in New Mexico.

To find the roughly $70 million needed for the raise, lawmakers opted out of a recent federal change allowing a tax cut for large corporations.

Lawmakers also got behind legislation to restructure health insurance for educators. House Bill 47, known as "80/20," requires the state to pay 80 percent of health insurance premiums for school employees, while the employee pays 20 percent. Holland noted it brings teacher benefits in line with other New Mexico state employees who already receive the same split.

"Eighty-twenty is huge for our educators," Holland emphasized. "That has the potential to save them thousands of dollars but it excludes higher ed, and so our hope is next year we get the same kind of coverage for higher ed folks."

Holland added the teacher's union also supported legislation to improve and modernize special education services for students with disabilities. The bill creates a permanent deputy secretary for special education whose job is to ensure students with disabilities receive high-quality, consistent services.