New Mexico has seen a 40% increase in the retirement of education employees this year, citing it as the largest number seen in seven years.

Brett Kokinadis, 2nd Vice-chair of Santa Fe Republican Party tweeted Sept. 25, sharing an article by the Albuquerque Journal outlining the increase.

"@GovMLG's unfair policies and subpar administration is driving more teachers to retire and increasing teacher shortages," Kokinadis wrote in the tweet slamming Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. "It's only fair that our kiddos get a quality education; it's the linchpin to solving many issues in NM."

According to the Albuquerque Journal, the Educational Retirement Board reports that it handled 1,269 applications for July 1 retirement this year, an increase from 906 last year. 

This trend doesn’t stop at teachers. The Journal reports teachers, librarians, nurses and counselors were all part of a similar retirement wave this year. According to the report, COVID-19 may be a factor as older people face a higher risk of complications from the virus which has already spanned across parts of three school years.

The State of New Mexico has reportedly seen a similar increase in the number of teacher vacancies this year, citing more than 1,000 this fall, up from 570 the year prior. This, alongside the rising retirements, has left many superintendents concerned, the Albuquerque journal reports.