Excellence in education in New Mexico? Not a chance!
How ironic! I just watched a PSA by the New Mexico School Boards Association, touting New Mexico public schools. It made glowing claims about our public school system that, if true now, may soon not be. I saw this ad only days after learning that Gov. Susana Martinez has proposed two incredibly damaging budget cuts that contradict the image NMBA displayed.
She wants to cut $50 million from school districts statewide and contribute thousands of dollars less, per teacher, to their retirement fund, thereby requiring each teacher to contribute that much more.
In the first place, New Mexico’s public schools have been struggling for years with budget shortfalls. Teacher salaries are a travesty, and they are being asked to do more and more for less and less. They are not paid a living wage. Vacancies are going unfilled, resulting in the use of unqualified substitutes teaching our children. Schools are falling apart, endangering the health and safety of students and staff.
In addition, failure to provide funding for special education that meets federal guidelines could result in the loss of $34 million in federal funds. This is in addition to the loss of $26 million incurred in 2012.
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has been encouraging the degradation of public school systems across the nation for years. Funding has been diverted from public education into for-profit charter schools and vouchers for private — even religious — schools. Public education no longer trains the majority of our children for professional occupations or leadership positions. That privilege is reserved for the children of high-income and powerful families.
Martinez and her secretary of education, Hanna Skandera, appear to be enthusiastic supporters of ALEC’s agenda. Also, we are about to be inflicted with a U.S. secretary of education who, along with her wealthy family, has done everything she could to degrade public education in favor of private charter schools and vouchers.
Zimmermann is a resident of Embudo.
