State must move on education

Now is the time. We cannot wait any longer to fulfill our state’s constitutional promise to provide a quality education to all students. Even as we are faced with the greatest health crisis in a century, fewer resources than we expected just a year ago and the uncertainty of what lies ahead, we must act now to ensure that available resources reach the students who need them most.

That is why the Public Education Department’s budget proposal for the upcoming school year includes continued efforts and innovative new ways to address the findings of the Martinez/ Yazzie consolidated lawsuit while directing targeted additional funding to our state’s economically disadvantaged students.

Over the last two years, the PED, with leadership from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and partnership with the Legislature, raised teacher salaries to recruit and retain more teachers, increased funding for serving at-risk students and expanded programs that added days to the school year. Each of those actions directly addressed the needs of the student groups — Native American students, English-language learners, students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged students — named in the Martinez/Yazzie lawsuit.

And while those efforts led to decreased teacher vacancies, additional school days for thousands of students and increased services to all students, more work remains.

Let’s start by making sure all the money appropriated by the Legislature actually serves New Mexico children. Despite having $151 million available for additional school days this year, we anticipate spending only about $80 million because of low participation in extended-learning programs. This year, we want to provide incentives to participate in those programs by giving districts access to additional funding for other options that serve their local needs if they provide crucial additional learning time.

With these critical resources, districts also could provide high-quality career technical education or use the community school model to increase student and family access to additional supports such as after-school instruction, counseling or health services.

By the end of this school year, the state’s Education Reform Fund will have nearly $170 million in unspent funds originally intended for additional school days. We propose a new Family Income Index to direct a portion of those funds — nearly $56 million over two years — to schools serving large percentages of economically disadvantaged children.

Another important step is restoring full state funding to districts that receive federal impact aid, the majority of which serve large populations of Native American students. Historically, the state has taken credit for a large portion of those funds, effectively reducing state payments to those districts. Our proposal eliminates those credits and would mean millions of dollars in additional funding for Native American students.

We recognize the pandemic has impacted our schools and students in dramatic and negative ways. That’s why we’re asking the Legislature to use nearly $100 million of those unspent funds to pay for additional school days, increased counseling and advising, and other academic, behavioral and mental health supports that we know will be essential in helping students recover from the effects of the pandemic.

We are at a crossroads. Faced with the multiple challenges of COVID-19, economic insecurity, political division, and racial and ethnic upheaval, it would be easy to make excuses for maintaining the status quo. We refuse.

Instead, our proposals will allow us to continue working to ensure our students — whose cultures, language and identities have for too long been seen as liabilities — are honored for their inherent value and for the value they bring to our state. We will strive to provide the resources and supports needed so that every New Mexican child can be successful in school and in life.

Our children cannot wait any longer.