'It's my time': Bernalillo schools administrator tapped as VP of statewide educator's union

BERNALILLO — A longtime Bernalillo Public Schools administrator recently became the vice president of New Mexico’s largest school employees union, holding the distinction as the first person from BPS to rise to leadership within the organization.

Jennifer Trujillo, BPS’s district test coordinator, began her three-year term with the National Education Association of New Mexico July 15, following a month-long election among members at the beginning of the year. Trujillo, who will continue to work for BPS alongside her NEA-NM role, previously served on the board of the organization and as president of the school district’s employees union.

“I’m excited; it’s my time,” Trujillo said Tuesday during an interview from her BPS office. “I just want to make our organization stronger for the state of New Mexico. I know that my voice will be heard, and I want to continue to fight for students and for educators.”

When asked about the historic nature of her position — the first-ever BPS employee to join the ranks of NEA-NM leadership — Trujillo said it was her own initiative that led her to be elected.

“It’s what you put into it; it doesn’t just happen,” said Trujillo, who was born and raised in Bernalillo, graduating from Bernalillo High School in 1995. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of New Mexico, she taught K-5 for BPS starting in 2002 before rising to district leadership.

BPS Superintendent Matt Montaño wrote in an email to the Observer that he is proud of Trujillo for taking on her new role with NEA-NM.

“I know her passion for the organization will bring strong contributions to their continued growth,” Montaño wrote.

NEA-NM is an affiliate of the National Education Association, the largest school employees labor union with a 160-year history. NEA-NM works to support educators and school staff on many of the issues they hold dear, including compensation as well as better working conditions and learning environments for students.

Trujillo’s start as vice president comes at a trying time for educators. The Washington, D.C.-based NEA recently issued reports stating that school employee pay is behind inflation, with teachers making 5% less than they did a decade ago.

However, the NEA stated in a news release that New Mexico was one of six states from coast to coast that “demonstrated significant progress” in boosting teacher pay year-over-year. Data shows that the average pay for public school teachers in the state went from $68,440 during the 2023-24 school year to $69,736 in the 2024-25 school year, a 1.89% increase. The increase, however, still leaves New Mexico behind the teacher pay national average of $72,030, according to NEA data.

“With (Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham), we have made some gains in teacher pay, which has moved the needle for the state, but we are still behind compared to other states,” Trujillo wrote in an email to the Observer. “This is why NEA-NM lobbies each year in Santa Fe to push for more pay for all school employees.”

During recent BPS union contract negotiations, Trujillo secured a 4% raise for educators — consistent with House Bill 156 — and a $150 stipend for facilities employees to volunteer for weekly on-call evening and weekend shifts.

But as NEA-NM vice president, Trujillo will look at school employee issues through a statewide lens, including meeting with members of the Legislature to advocate for her members and sitting on the New Mexico Public Schools Insurance Authority.

“I can’t just go rogue; I will work hand-in-hand with the president (of NEA-NM) and the leadership team,” Trujillo said.

Having been a union president before, she would like to “carry the stories of our classrooms and the voices of our union siblings” in her new position. Trujillo also hopes to give more school district union representatives training to be more effective leaders and for NEA-NM members to become more aware of what they can do when they join a union.

“A lot of those young educators don’t really know what the union is,” Trujillo said. “I want to be that voice to say, ‘This is why it’s important.’ I want (this initiative) to roll out where (unions) don’t have that bad name.”