Education

The biggest issue facing New Mexico’s education system is the re-opening of schools during this COVID-19 pandemic. I was part of the re-opening task force that tried to anticipate the myriad of decisions that would need to be made as the schools reimagine themselves for this fall. In spite of all of the planning that has gone into the re-opening of schools, this virus is what is dictating the actions. While children’s education is important, it must come second to their safety and that of the teachers and staff. As such, schools will start entirely on-line, and then move to a hybrid model (partially on-line and partially with direct instruction) only when it is safe to do so. Once we, as a society, get control of the virus, then it will be possible for the public schools to move to more direct instruction. The one thing we know for sure is that school will look very different this year and that the type of instruction will be changing based on science and the recommendations of medical professionals.

This situation is not ideal, and it won’t be easy. But it will be up to all of us to work with the schools, parents, and communities to ensure that our children are safe and getting the best education possible.

Long-term issues for education revolve around adequate investments and resources for our schools. New Mexico has underfunded education for decades, and the results have been predictable. We have a shortage of teachers and support staff. We have shortages of supplies, shamefully requiring teachers to pay for classroom expenses out of their own pockets. Not all students have access to quality early childhood education, health care, food, housing, or resources to fully take advantage of the education being provided. Meanwhile, children with greater needs such as English language learners (ELL), special education students, and students with fewer home resources are particularly vulnerable to the underfunding of education that leads to an opportunity gap.

I ran for the New Mexico Senate to be the voice for those children. To advocate for enough resources to ensure that every child in New Mexico has access to a high-quality education. We were making great progress in that direction when the double whammy of COVID-19 and the accompanying economic crisis hit, placing a huge strain on our budget and resources. As we come out of this crisis, we will have a moral obligation to fund our future by fully funding our schools. I want to be in Santa Fe working toward that goal.

Having enough teachers is also a major concern for public education. We have a shortage of teachers, and many classrooms are being taught by long-term substitutes or teachers on a waiver who have not completed the teacher preparation programs. These underprepared teachers have a more difficult time providing a high-quality education to our children. To rebuild our teaching profession, we need to raise teacher compensation, professional status, and professional development. We have begun working on all of these tasks.