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• New Mexico Administrative Code (NMAC) directly assigns the superintendent of
schools as the chief executive officer of the district and the State of New Mexico must allow the superintendent to make the decisions that are most appropriate for the district he/she represents. Therefore, legislation passed must promote the return of superintendent prerogatives in decision making for local districts.
Sufficiency of Funding:
• With the diminished state of resource available in New Mexico, below the line
funding should meet and compete with the overall priorities of educational need in New Mexico. Given the future political landscape and the long-term needs of New Mexico students, there must be a budgetary balance that assures the needs of children in ALL districts in New Mexico are addressed. Therefore, a long-term plan for balancing basic above the line funding, middle of the line funding and below the line funding that is sustainable through time must be formulated.
• Supporting quality education in New Mexico is in the best interest of every
citizen in the State. Therefore, legislation that reduces funding for New Mexico Public Schools, raids district cash balances, or enforces unfunded mandates are not acceptable.
• The “cost to do business as required by law” should not be considered an
increase above the base funding for public schools. These costs include the tier migration costs as a part of the three-tiered licensure system, liability insurance, health insurance, and utilities. Therefore, the “Open the Doors Costs” must be calculated and added to the FY 18 funding levels in the SEG.
• In most districts, teachers and school employees have seen a decrease in take
home wages due to the increase in shared insurance costs. Therefore, no further reduction of benefits should be supported in legislation.
• The need for highly qualified teachers, administrators and ancillary service
providers in New Mexico schools must be recognized as an economic development issue that requires a systemic plan of action. Therefore, legislation that invests in identifying and supporting viable solutions for improving the recruitment and retention of teachers and administrators must be supported.
• The survivability of local districts is paramount to ensure that rural districts
thrive. Therefore, the State must invest more fully in Regional Educational Cooperatives as important service points for rural collaboration.
Finally, let me thank each of you for your service to our children and I wish you a blessed holiday season!
2018-2019 Proposed Legislative Platform