We need to invest more in teachers, students, future

The COVID-19 pandemic has put in stark reality the essential function of our public schools and the absolutely critical roles they play in the overall life and well-being of our students and their communities. When schools closed last March for in-person instruction, we saw the true heart and dedication of so many educators.

This included nutrition service workers, bus drivers, secretaries, educational assistants, teachers, administrators and many others that remained on site and in-person to continue meeting the enormous needs of families and children that suffer from food insecurity, shelter insecurity and lack of medical access.

We have also seen the profound impact of remote learning on the economy because in-person instruction is essential to both the economic foundation and stability of the state. We know that schools mirror the communities that they serve, so if there is great need in those communities, there will also be great need in the school that serves them.

For these reasons, we should support government spending that will result in positive outcomes for all our children. As an educator from a school that served many student and family populations that did not have access to basic human needs like food, shelter and medical attention, I speak from personal experience.

For those that have had to put their kids to bed hungry or see them suffer because they cannot take them to the doctor, these situations are very real, and educators deal with the fallout every day. We must do everything we can to minimize and ultimately eliminate those heart-wrenching issues in New Mexico through bold investments in our children and public schools.

In times of economic insecurity, the tendency is to tighten the belt of government spending, particularly when discussing public education. However, austerity measures will not help our working families nor business economy get back on its feet. Public school employees wield a tremendous impact on the business economy. The more discretionary income they have to spend that is not being siphoned away from increases to their medical insurance and retirement contribution rates, the more they can and will support local businesses.

We must continue to invest in our public schools and educators to build upon the momentum from 2019-2020, before the pandemic, to transform N.M. education in the spirit of equity. Divestment in our students and public schools is not a good idea, and we have seen this play out for years. Investment in education has been cut 14% from 2008-2018, when adjusted for inflation, according to N.M. Voices for Children. Unfortunately, this trend has extremely high costs when today’s children grow into tomorrow’s adults.

This has not led to good outcomes for our public schools, children, families, or the economy. We have destabilized and eroded our public schools and the students they serve with the policies and investments of the past. We are all in this together. If we want different outcomes than the ones we currently have, we need to invest to stabilize and increase our educator workforce by supporting legislation that invests in them, our children and our future.