N.M. ‘starving’ its schools, state senator testifies
Albuquerque lawmaker, a former teacher, says inadequate funding is why education system ranks poorly
A leading Democrat in the Legislature testified Tuesday that New Mexico is not providing enough money to teach educators how to teach reading — a deficiency that she said keeps the state at or near the bottom of national education rankings.
Sen. Mimi Stewart of Albuquerque also said the state is not allocating sufficient money for special education, professional development or prekindergarten programs to ensure student success.
“I believe we have been starving our public schools for a number of years,” Stewart testified in state District Court in Santa Fe, where advocacy groups are suing the state government on grounds that public schools aren’t adequately funded. Stewart appeared as a witness for those who brought the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs — a coalition of parents, students and school districts — want District Judge Sarah Singleton to force the state to find more money for schools, especially to help children who, they say, are at a particular disadvantage. These include special-education students, those who come from impoverished families and kids who are learning English as a second language.
An outspoken critic of Republican Gov. Susana Martinez’s education policies, Stewart brought an insider’s knowledge of the state’s political and economic affairs to the trial. She challenged many of defense attorney Stephen Hamilton’s arguments, including his assertion that the state regularly has invested more money in the public education system since at least 2012.
Stewart, a retired Albuquerque Public Schools teacher, said those increases were minimal and did not take into account cost-of-living raises for school employees and other rising costs, including insurance and utilities.
Hamilton, attempting to paint a picture of a state that has struggled in recent years to balance its budget, asked Stewart if the Legislature went beyond public education to find money for operating expenses.
“We swept every place we could find that had money in it,” Stewart said.
Lawyers for the groups suing the state have tried to portray New Mexico’s public education system as one that needs intervention from the judge to change its funding system and choices of programs to enhance learning.
Their witnesses have focused on the potential for programs such as pre-K, expanded summer school, tutoring and teacher professional development to make schools better.
Defense attorneys have in turn played up the state’s reform efforts and whittled away at the credibility of many of the expert witnesses by getting them to admit that they know little or nothing about these programs or how they are working.
The defense also has maintained that the state has its share of financial problems and is grappling with a high percentage of students at risk of dropping out.
Stewart said that the state, regardless of its problems, is not giving teachers the support they need in the classroom to ensure their students are successful.
“I don’t even think I would teach now. There are so few resources,” she said.
Singleton is hearing the case without a jury. The trial began last week and could last another two months.