{"id":654746,"date":"2018-12-12T09:12:22","date_gmt":"2018-12-12T16:12:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=654746"},"modified":"2018-12-13T08:46:34","modified_gmt":"2018-12-13T15:46:34","slug":"who-will-lead-new-mexicos-public-education-department","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2018\/12\/who-will-lead-new-mexicos-public-education-department\/","title":{"rendered":"Who will lead New Mexico\u2019s Public Education Department?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/p>

A statue outside the Roundhouse in Santa Fe.<\/p><\/div>\n

In the coming days, governor-elect Michelle Lujan Grisham will take the first major step to fulfill her sweeping campaign promises<\/a> on education \u2013 appointing a secretary to lead New Mexico\u2019s troubled Public Education Department<\/a>. Her choice will speak volumes \u2013 not only about her approach to education but also about her commitment to reform in a state that is primed for change.<\/p>\n

With a Democratic majority in both chambers of the Legislature, the governor-elect is in a position to address what many regard as New Mexico\u2019s gravest problem: the fact that it sits at rock bottom in national rankings of student achievement. The state is under court order to fix a school funding system that was struck down as unconstitutional<\/a> for its failure to provide adequate resources for at-risk students.<\/p>\n

So the choice of the new secretary will speak worlds about the degree to which Lujan Grisham intends to follow through on her pledge to “build a Pre-K-through-grade-12 education system that works for every single student and family.” Education experts are watching closely, and they detect a struggle between two philosophies on good governance.<\/p>\n

Diverging paths<\/h3>\n

\u201cIn one camp, the feeling is that we need successful leaders who have proven track records of reform and the courage to make hard decisions,\u201d said Fred Nathan, director of Think New Mexico<\/a>, a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank that provides analysis and recommendations on statewide policy issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s another group that thinks that the most important thing is experience,\u201d he continued. \u201cThese are folks who have been in the public school system a very long time and are not as open to making changes and are comfortable with the status quo.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Republican Susana Martinez leaving office after eight years as governor, major changes are anticipated \u2013 more perhaps for education than any other area. There is little doubt that the court ruling will require a massive investment of money, and the next PED secretary will certainly have a major role in shaping how that money is spent.<\/p>\n