Latest news with #PublicEducationDepartment
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New Mexico funds $20 million ‘STEM Institute' aimed at improving student scores
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – It's tens of millions of dollars approved by New Mexico lawmakers for a project very few people even know about. A new STEM Institute is the most expensive earmark to come out of this year's capital outlay bill. Story continues below Crime: Two ABQ police officers placed on leave in critical pedestrian crash on Central Real Estate: 'Nothing short of a personal resort' luxury property listed for $12M in Santa Fe National: 'I'm sincerely sorry': Billy Joel cancels all concerts due to brain disorder diagnosis The state is trying to close the gap in New Mexico, where students are underperforming in math and science, with the new institute that would be built in Albuquerque. 'We are finally once and for all directing our state dollars that we have available in the right direction,' said Senator Michael Padilla, (D-Albuquerque). The state is already pouring $20 million into the idea, the most money any single capital outlay project got this last session. The money will go toward planning, design, and construction. Managing the project, the New Mexico Higher Education Department said the 'institute' will help address gaps in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Over the 2023-24 school year, the state said only 23% of New Mexico students were proficient in math, and just 38% in science. The planned STEM institute would provide tutoring and more for students in fourth through eighth grade. 'I mean, if you looked a decade ago, just a decade ago, we were probably half that rate at that point. So, if you take a look at it from that standpoint and we're making these investments now, I'm looking to see this 23-25% bump all the way up to 40-50%,' said Sen. Padilla. The Public Education Department is expected to run the institute, which has no specific location at this point. HED said whatever gets built will 'equip the next generation with the critical thinking, problem solving, and innovation skills' needed to succeed in an evolving workforce. 'Border Plex, Los Alamos, Sandia, a quantum economy, all of these things that are coming into the state now are going to make a huge difference, but they're not going to make a difference if we don't have a STEM workforce,' said Sen. Padilla. KRQE News 13 tried to talk to the governor's office, the Department of Higher Education, and the state Public Education Department about the STEM Institute, but no one would do an interview at this point. They emphasized that the $20-million project, so far, is still in the planning phases. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
APS Board of Education approves $2.2B budget
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – This week, the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education approved a record-setting budget for the next school year. On Wednesday, the board approved a $2.2 billion budget for fiscal year 2026. That shakes out to about $35,000 per student, which is about $3,000 more per student than last fiscal year. Parent speaks out after gun found on Albuquerque Public Schools campus Despite declining enrollment, this is the district's largest budget yet, with over half going to staff salaries and the cost to operate the schools. The budget now goes to the New Mexico Public Education Department for approval. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Anti-distraction policy in schools becomes law in NM
New Mexico public school districts and charters have until Aug. 1 to implement a phone-free policy for students. (Photo by SDI Productions via Getty Images) Public school districts have about three months to develop phone-free policies for students, an initiative passed during the recent legislative session and signed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham this month. Senate Bill 11, sponsored by Sen. Crystal Brantley (R-Elephant Butte), requires all New Mexico school districts and charter schools to develop rules for students' use during instructional time of cell phones, smart watches, tablets, laptops and gaming devices in an effort to limit distractions and improve student performance. 'This bill isn't just about test scores. It's about showing our kids that we care enough about their future to take practical steps forward when we can,' Brantley said in a written statement. 'Reducing distractions helps not only academic outcomes but also our students' mental health, safety, and focus.' According to the bill, districts have until Aug. 1 to create and implement a 'wireless communication device policy.' The bill also states that the Public Education Department will provide districts with guidelines for minimum policy requirements, and outlines possible requirements such as: limiting device usage during instructional hours; allowing teachers to grant students permission to use devices during instructional time; allowing students to use devices in emergency situations or for accessibility needs; and establishing consequences for violating the policy. Lujan Grisham signed the bill on April 10, ahead of the April 11 deadline she had for taking action on legislation passed by the Legislature and sent to her desk. In a legislative message, Lujan Grisham described SB11 as a 'first step towards meaningful regulation' of electronic devices in New Mexico schools. However, she called out lawmakers for amending the original bill and making participation in creating policies optional for districts. 'The Legislature squirmed out of taking a meaningful step to improve education under the auspice[s] of local control,' Lujan Grisham wrote. 'That is all well and good until this same body blames the Public Education Department—and now the local bodies—for poor educational outcomes of New Mexico students. I once again encourage the Legislature to hold local school districts accountable for educational outcomes. Our students deserve it.' Kelly Jameson, director of communications for Las Cruces Public Schools, told Source NM in a written statement that the district supports the 'intent of SB11 to create safer, more focused learning environments for all students.' She added that the LCPS Board of Education adopted a policy in 2009 concerning the use of electronic communication devices in school. The policy notes that having a device in school is 'a privilege' that can be taken away. The LCPS board also adopted a regulation in 2023 that outlines by grade level when students may use devices during the school day. For example, elementary students may only use devices before or after school. Middle school students may use their devices during lunch periods, but not during passing periods between classes and regulations for high school students are more lenient. Violating the LCPS policy can mean devices are confiscated; devices must be left in the school's front office during the school day; or other disciplinary actions are taken with multiple violations. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
30-04-2025
- Politics
New Mexico judge orders remedial plan to improve public education for Native American students
SANTA FE, N.M. -- The state of New Mexico must create a remedial plan to improve K-12 education after falling short of providing an adequate public school education to Native American students and others from low-income households, a judge ruled Tuesday. The order from state district court Judge Matthew Wilson builds on a landmark 2018 ruling that spurred a multibillion-dollar spending spree on public schools in New Mexico — without yet resolving underlying failures to meet state constitutional obligations to educate an array of at-risk students, including those studying English as a second language and students with disabilities. 'The defendants are ordered to come up with comprehensive remedial plan to address the continuing violation of at-risk students' constitutional rights," Wilson said. 'A court-ordered plan would provide guidance to the legislature and the executive branches of government, particularly when making difficult budgetary decisions that need to survive political and economic shifts." New Mexico historically has been at the bottom of the list when it comes to educational outcomes nationwide. Struggles to address lagging test scores and low graduation rates predated the coronavirus pandemic. Lawmakers have been pouring public resources into efforts to improve attendance, boost access to broadband internet, shore up school staffing and more amid a windfall in state government income from oil and natural gas production. Filed more than a decade ago on behalf of students and school districts rooted in Native American and Hispanic communities, the litigation known as the Yazzie- Martinez case identified systemic issues within the state's education system. In court filings, the administration of Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has acknowledged that there is room for improvement while highlighting a 62% increase in annual K-12 spending by state government since 2016 to $4.2 billion in the 2024, as well as the enactment of 'dozens of new at-risk initiatives and legislation.' Public Education Department spokesperson Janelle Garcia said in a statement that the agency welcomes the ruling and an opportunity 'to lead development of a plan providing all New Mexico students an excellent education ... that will lead to resolution of the Martinez-Yazzie lawsuit for students, parents, and families.' The judge rejected a request to put a state legislative agency on education and accountability at the helm of the remediation plan. He called instead for the state Public Education Department to work with the plaintiffs and commission a plan from an outside consultant or expert. Attorney General Raúl Torrez in 2023 announced his support for the plaintiffs in efforts to make the state comply with its obligations to students. The remedial plan could take five years to carry out and possibly resolve litigation.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Santa Fe judge finds state out of compliance with Yazzie/Martinez education ruling
You make the mess, you clean it up. That was the message Tuesday from a state district judge in Santa Fe who ruled the New Mexico Public Education Department has continually failed to comply with a landmark 2018 court order to provide a sufficient education to certain groups of at-risk students. Judge Matthew Wilson of the First Judicial District also ruled it was the department's job to fix the problem. He ordered the agency to develop a "comprehensive remedial plan" to comply with the ruling in Yazzie/Martinez v. State of New Mexico and set several deadlines. His ruling followed a hearing on a motion filed by plaintiffs in the lawsuit, asking the judge to assign the job of improving services and student outcomes to the Legislative Education Study Committee rather than the education agency. Nearly seven years after another state judge found in favor of the plaintiffs, they continue to decry what they see as a lack of successful solutions from the Public Education Department, even as lawmakers have made significant investments in education. The department argues, however, its mandate to ensure schools adequately educate groups of students cited in the lawsuit — Native Americans, English language learners, low-income kids and students with disabilities — pits it directly against districts that demand more local control. Attorneys for the plaintiffs said Tuesday the Legislative Education Study Committee has more expertise, stability and accountability than the education department and should be tasked with creating a plan to make improvements. Wilson denied that part of the motion, noting the committee is not a party in the lawsuit and he doesn't have the authority to direct it to create the plan. But he said the Legislative Education Study Committee and other stakeholders should be involved in crafting the plan and selecting outside experts and consultants to help. Wilson also laid out deadlines for the state to be in compliance, or risk court sanctions: * July 1: The Public Education Department must file a status report with the court and work with the Legislative Education Study Committee to identify outside experts and consultants to help draft the action plan. * Oct. 1: The state agency, along with stakeholders, must develop a draft plan, 'identifying all the components and elements necessary for a constitutionally sufficient and uniform education for at-risk students." * Nov. 3: The agency must develop a final plan and file a status report for the court's review. * Dec. 1: The Yazzie/Martinez plaintiffs' last day to file objections to the final plan. The state will then have 15 days to file a response, and the plaintiffs will have 15 days to file a reply. Wilson said he "anticipates a final comprehensive remedial plan." "I will bring the PED and the state into compliance with the court's final judgment and will ultimately conclude this litigation,' he said. 'Scattershot initiatives'? The state had one main argument against the plaintiffs' claims of continued noncompliance with a judge's 2018 ruling in the case. Rather, it had one number — 62% — referring to the state's roughly $1.7 billion increase in annual appropriations for public education between 2016, when the budget was $2.5 billion, and 2024, when it was $4.2 billion. 'Plaintiffs argued that this increase in funding makes no difference because PED has no plan how to spend it and no accountability over the districts. That is simply untrue,' said Taylor Rahn, a private attorney with Robles, Rael & Anaya, who represented the Public Education Department and Cabinet Secretary Mariana Padilla. Rahn pointed to examples of the department's oversight, such as education plans that require "school districts to articulate how they intend to spend at-risk funding.' She said the plaintiffs have an 'outright disregard of changes to inputs in the public education system.' Rahn also noted some areas of improvement, such as an increase in graduation rates for at-risk groups and the narrowing of an achievement gap between high- and low-performing students, one that is 'smaller than the national average.' While a boost in performance by economically disadvantaged students between 2022-23 and 2023-24 helped narrow the achievement gap, assessments showed it was also caused by a downturn in the academic performance of students from higher-income families. In a rebuttal to Rahn, Preston Sanchez, an attorney for the Yazzie plaintiffs, called the Public Education Department's efforts 'piecemeal' and 'scattershot initiatives that have had little to no impact' on at-risk student groups. He cited a few dismal statistics — for example, that 12% of special education students achieved scores showing proficiency in reading in 2022-23, compared to 38% of students overall statewide. As for the agency's accountability measures, he called the department's education plan a matter of 'checking boxes and paperwork' rather than a comprehensive means to vet school districts. Asking for overreach? Rahn argued the plaintiffs' request for the department to impose 'sweeping accountability measures' could lead to pushback from districts that oppose overreach. For instance, 54 districts joined together last year in filing a lawsuit against the department's rule requiring all schools to provide 180 days of instruction each year. A judge struck down the rule in February. Padilla said at the time the department was "dissatisfied" with the ruling and still believed "students can achieve better educational outcomes when we maximize learning opportunities." The plaintiffs' attorneys called into question the stability of the agency's leadership — given its five Cabinet secretaries since 2019 and the recent departure of Margaret Cage, director and deputy secretary of the Office of Special Education, after two years on the job. Rahn noted the agency has decreased its job vacancy rate since 2016 and has created 'dozens of new positions, many of which are targeted in at-risk student areas.' She said, ' Plaintiffs make the allegation that PED cannot be trusted to lead or cannot be trusted to comply with court orders because we've had several secretaries since the time of the court ruling. There is no court relief that could change that. People are allowed to change positions; people are allowed to seek different positions." She also pointed to the plaintiffs' request for remedies to teacher vacancies in at-risk areas — saying they were "suggesting that the state must force teachers into certain at-risk classrooms." ' The court does not have the power to override teacher union agreements," she said. Wilson did not address the plaintiffs' calls for such specific actions but noted 'the relief sought by plaintiffs is reasonable and within the court's authority.' Martha Pincoffs, a spokesperson for the Public Education Department, wrote in an email after the hearing the state has "substantially increased funding, and taken significant steps" to improve student performance and educator retention.
