Voter turnout was up in first NM elections since Trump’s win
|
Turnout was up in the state’s urban centers but still in single digits. The Doña Ana County clerk called turnout there “dismal.” Continue Reading
Papen asks committee to table her bill to create early education endowment
|
“It is clear to me now … that the bill suffers from problems in its construction,” said Sen. Mary Kay Papen, D-Las Cruces. Continue Reading
Senators halt proposal to revive state school board
|
Five Democrats joined four Republicans to block the resolution. Continue Reading
Bill would authorize panel to investigate child abuse deaths
|
The team would be tasked with evaluating investigations of a child’s death, as well as examining how agencies and individuals responded to concerns about the child before the slaying. Continue Reading
House committee OKs bill to provide tuition aid for preschool teachers
|
The measure would provide $2 million in tuition assistance for preschool teachers to further their education. Continue Reading
Bill would limit physical restraint of students
|
Several states have laws that allow only trained school staff members to restrain a child, and only in an emergency. New Mexico is among more than a dozen states that have no such laws. Continue Reading
Skandera wants to reduce weight of test scores on teacher evals
|
The move represents a step back — albeit a small one — from Skandera’s long-running push to tie teacher effectiveness to student test scores. Continue Reading
Proposal to expand use of land grant fund for children advances
|
The proposal, if approved by lawmakers this year and then by voters in the 2018 general election, would supply $39 million for early childhood education and another $91 million for K-12 public schools in 2020. Continue Reading
Most NM voters oppose cuts to education funding, poll finds
|
Most New Mexico residents want to preserve state funding for schools and instead raise taxes to address state budget shortfalls, according to a new poll released Wednesday. Continue Reading
House scales back cuts to school budgets
|
House members voted to scale back the cuts from $50 million to about $38 million during the next five months. Continue Reading
State budget relief may place burden on schools, fire departments
|
Senate leaders say the cutbacks are unavoidable because lawmakers have already drained reserves in other areas of state government. Continue Reading
Udall and Heinrich, vote against confirmation of DeVos for education secretary
|
It is our strong belief that a successful confirmation of Ms. DeVos would not be in the best interest of public education in the United States, nor in our State of New Mexico. Continue Reading
Santa Fe archbishop backs controversial plan to fund early education
|
Wester appealed to legislators during the annual prayer breakfast to support spending money from the $15 billion Land Grant Permanent Fund on early childhood programs. Continue Reading
Despite improvements, NM remains tough for kids
|
For the second year in a row, New Mexico ranked 49th among states for child well-being in the annual Kids Count report. Continue Reading
N.M. high school graduation rate rises to 71%
|
The rate jumped 2.5 points from the previous year and increased in 48 of the state’s 89 school districts in 2016, including Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Rio Rancho and Santa Fe. Continue Reading