Early childhood amendment a game changer

CHI St. Joseph’s Children congratulates the legislators who accepted the truth and the facts and passed the Early Childhood Constitutional Amendment, House Joint Resolution 1, sending it to the voters for approval. The campaign began 10 years ago, and recent polls show 75% support its passage. The Land Grant Permanent Fund grows by leaps and bounds, and our children have sunk to 50th in children’s well-being.

The fund is worth approximately $22 billion. If a person earned $45,000 a year, it would take 22,222 years to reach $1 billion. According to the Fiscal Impact Report for HJR 1, even with an increased distribution of 1.25%, the fund will double to $44 billion in 20 years while the population will not.

Drawing principal from the fund has never been part of the proposal. The fund grows by an average of 11% per year from two sources of income: gas and oil, and Wall Street investment. New Mexico has the largest deposit of oil in the United States, perhaps in the world. There is still a future for gas and oil in New Mexico while the transition to renewable energy takes place.

The idea that not more than 5% of the fund should be distributed is a fallacy. The distribution calculation is based on a 5-year rolling average, which gives us a smaller number than the actual balance of the fund. For example, only 4.1% of the $22 billion fund was used this year. The 5-year rolling average will continue to be used. Opponents compared the fund to nonprofits: the IRS requires nonprofits to spend at least 5%.

Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky testified that the unmet need for early childhood programs in New Mexico, even after appropriations from the general fund, is close to half a billion dollars a year. According to a recent needs assessment, 79% of 3-year-olds and 45% of 4-year-olds do not have access to high-quality full day pre-K, and 78% of families have no access to home visiting.

Opponents continue to include K-5 Plus in the Early Childhood budget. K-5 Plus is an elementary school program, not early childhood. This creates the appearance of a larger early childhood appropriation. The constitutional amendment provides early childhood services to non-school age children 5 years old and younger, and clearly states that 60% of the 1.25% new distribution will go to early childhood programs. The newly created Early Childhood Department administers these programs with safeguards such as the Pre-K Act and the Home Visiting Accountability Act.

Holding the agency accountable will be the legislators who appropriate New Mexico’s budget.

Including the K-12 portion in the amendment is a vital response to the Yazzie/Martinez lawsuit, which clearly identified the state as not living up to its constitutional mandate to educate all children. The amendment for early childhood will create approximately 4,000 jobs, which are the engine of an economy.

Public opinion has been heard: just as New Mexicans last year elected a Legislature that supported the early childhood constitutional amendment, they will also pass it on the ballot.

Ensuring permanent, reliable funding for early childhood programs is a game changer for New Mexico.

CHI St. Joseph’s Children operates the largest home visiting program in the state and does not accept government money.