Heath Haussamen / NMPolitics.net
A statue outside the Roundhouse in Santa Fe.
COMMENTARY: The emphasis on education, student success and other support for our state’s children in Governor Lujan Grisham’s announcement of her executive budget proposal for fiscal year 2020 is enormously appreciated by educators statewide. The budget proposal is a wonderful starting point for the budget debate ahead in the Legislature.
The National Education Association-New Mexico’s members in every corner of our state, urban and rural, will continue, as the debate proceeds, to raise our voices for all that our students need to succeed. Members in Lovington, Shiprock, Magdalena, Deming, Santa Fe and Bernalillo are united in our commitment to continue advocating for even larger steps forward to fully comply with the Yazzie/Martinez v. New Mexico ruling by Judge Singleton.
Courtesy photo
Betty Patterson
The budget proposal supports New Mexico student success with expanded programs and significant pay raises for teachers and other education employees designed to recruit and retain quality teachers and other education employees. The proposed 6 percent minimal raises for all school employees and a new $12 minimum wage, along with $41,000 Level I, $50,000 Level II, and $60,000 Level III as proposed by our governor, is a very welcome, huge stride in the right direction.
New Mexico educators in every corner of our state are signing a petition calling for a $15-per-hour minimum public school employee wage and a 10 percent minimal raise for all school employees.
Along with the governor’s earlier announcement removing the counter-productive emphasis on teacher evaluation of standardized student test scores, these higher salaries will encourage many current New Mexico teachers and education employees to continue helping students achieve success.
We also support the governor’s plan to spend nearly $8 million to fund her promise to create a fair and balanced accountability system, including developing an improved evaluation system that emphasizes best professional practices rather than the punitive measures of the last administration.
These moves will encourage teachers and other education employees to stay in our state and continue serving our students, helping to reverse the detrimental effects of the last administration’s policies that succeeded in driving thousands of educators out of teaching and even more young people into thinking teaching would forever be low-paid and disrespected as a profession.
The governor made clear to voters this new direction in education. New Mexicans responded with their support. We will continue to work with the governor — and legislative leaders who will do so, too.
NEA-New Mexico also applauds the governor for the $113 million to increase the at-risk index in the funding formula to provide for low-income students, minority students, English language learners and students with disabilities; $60 million for increasing the number of pre-kindergarten slots, the number of high-quality Pre-K educators, and financial aid for early childhood educators; $6 million for the Indian Education Fund; $5 million for a program to support educators who have had to fund classroom supplies out of pocket; and financial support for community schools, among numerous other new or enhanced funding initiatives that will boost student achievement and learning environments.
NEA-New Mexico will continue advocating for greater funding for those programs in the hope the State will fully comply with the ruling by Judge Singleton in Yazzie/Martinez v. New Mexico.
Betty Patterson is the president of the National Education Association-New Mexico. Agree with her opinion? Disagree? NMPolitics.net welcomes your views. Learn about submitting your own commentary here.