The New Mexico Senate voted decisively last week to override Republican Gov. Susana Martinez’s veto of a teacher sick-leave bill.
The 34-7 vote easily cleared the two-thirds threshold needed to override the veto and marked the first time either the House or Senate has voted to override a Martinez veto. It was less likely that the House has the votes for an override.
Martinez this month vetoed the measure, which would have allowed teachers to take all their contractual free time—10 days annually in most school districts—without facing a deduction on their evaluations. Under the current system, educators can be absent from the classroom for three days without penalty but lose points thereafter.
