Education for our children must continue to be a top priority in New Mexico. Whether it public schools, home schools, charter schools or private schools, there is not a one-size-fits-all when it comes to education.
Representative Adkins is a school choice advocate, in that he believes the right education is whatever works best for the student and their parent. But he has been very supportive of the public schools in his district by providing more than $400,000 dollars in capital outlay money for the schools in his district, and advocating for the APS school bond that past in 2016. Libraries in the District 29 boundaries have received $56,000 in capital outlay funds during his term.
In District 29, he provided capital outlay funds to help install a traffic signal at the intersection of Paradise Blvd NW and La Paz Drive, near James Monroe Middle School and Sunset View Elementary School. The city's traffic studies had found the intersection didn't have enough cars to warrant the signal. Parents in the community contacted David and as he says, it's what surrounds the intersection that makes the signal necessary--a Little League field, a park and a community center, all located near schools. Students will now be able to safely cross the street, and drivers exiting the park, sports field and community center will also be safer. Learn more about the traffic signal funding here.
In 2016, he carried HB479 that expanded the K-3 plus program. The K-3 plus program has demonstrated that increased time in kindergarten and the early elementary grades narrows the achievement gap between disadvantaged students and other students. It has been shown to increase cognitive skills and result in higher test scores for students. The K-3 plus program provides funding for additional educational time for students in kindergarten through third grade during the summer. If weren't for Representative Adkins getting this bill through, Ventana Ranch Elementary School would have lost their funding for the K-3 plus program.
Education Bills Carried:
HB479 K-3 plus Expansion -- Passed
HB207 Equal Education Scholarship Act