"A Bold Agenda For Education In New Mexico"
We start reforming our education system on day one of the Martinez Administration. There is nothing more important we can do than implement real reform in our schools. The measure of our success will be when all New Mexico children have an opportunity to receive a quality education that allows them to chase and realize their dreams.
We need to build real accountability into our education system. We have bred a culture of low expectations and we are failing a generation of young minds. This is entirely unacceptable.
My approach to education will be to get more dollars out of the bureaucracy and into the classroom, hold students to high standards by eliminating social promotion and enacting other reforms, increase accountability and provide our best teachers with merit-based pay increases. It is time for bold change in education.
FUNDING IN THE CLASSROOM, WHERE IT COUNTS
With the last approved budget, New Mexico spends over 45.2% of state general funds on K-12 education. (Source: Legislative Finance Committee)
We must learn to use our resources more intelligently and efficiently and provide our children with an excellent education.
· Out Of The Bureaucracy & Into The Classroom-- If we are asking more of our teachers, we have to give them the tools to get the job done -- that means more education dollars directly into our schools and classrooms. Today, only 61% of New Mexico's education dollars get to the classroom. We need 4% more going directly to the students in the form of the first-rate teachers, quality textbooks and the latest technology. This would mean directing more resources in the area of $74 million into the classroom. While student enrollment has increased by only 1.5% since the 2002-2003 school year, the education budget has grown $728 million dollars or 43%. We must get money out of the bloated bureaucracy and into the classroom. (Sources: New Mexico Public Education Department & Legislative Finance Committee)
· Efficiency Studies For Districts -- Every year businesses undertake rigorous audits and studies to understand how their resources are being used and where those resources can be applied in a more efficient manner. Our school districts should undertake similar studies. These efficiency studies are not punitive in nature, but rather will help our school administrators better understand where and how to better allocate resources and get even more money to the classroom. The Public Education Department, working in conjunction with LFC and LESC, can take representative samples of districts with a wide cross section as a normal part of their work plan to look at efficiencies and cost savings.
· Transparency In Budgeting -- When New Mexico sets its budget at the beginning of every year, the instructional versus non-instructional dollars for schools are not divided into separate categories. If we want to make education spending more transparent and accountable -- and get more money into the classroom -- we need to divide the budget into instructional and non-instructional spending categories. This will ensure that we have more detailed explanations of expenditures at the state level.
SETTING THE BAR HIGH: ENDING SOCIAL PROMOTION, RAISING STANDARDS, INCREASING ACCOUNTABILITY
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) shows New Mexico at the bottom in performance comparisons to other states in overall achievement and closing the achievement gap, despite spending more per student. (Source: Achievement Gap And The Three Tiered System, LFC Report, June 2009)
We can do better -- we must do better -- in educating our students and closing the achievement gap.
· Ending Unearned Grade Advancement -- If students cannot read after the third grade, they lack the basic skills needed to help them learn and they fall behind in school. From Kindergarten to third grade students are learning to read; from fourth grade on, students are reading to learn. We must focus on higher literacy rates among our students. Many times students are passed on to the next grade level even though they are not able to meet achievement standards. Simply put, students who are not achieving must be held back in order to help them meet standards. The decision to hold a student back should not be based on a single test; they should be given the opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of the content in an alternative manner. And, we need to provide the opportunity for students to catch up through aggressive remedial action.
· Merit-Based Pay Increases For Teachers -- Private industry uses financial incentives as a motivating factor in achieving results. The same reward model can be applied to education for high performing teachers. Financial incentives should be linked to achievement in the classroom. Financial incentives can be further used to reward the highest performing teachers who stay at, or relocate to, low-performing schools and experience measurable improvement in student achievement.
· High Academic Standards --We saddle our children with the burden of low expectations. If we want our children to achieve, we have to set the bar high and provide an opportunity to succeed. Student progress should be measured every year and schools should be graded on their ability to meet student achievement standards and student progress. We must recognize success and identify problems to take corrective action.
· School Accountability -- The Legislative Finance Committee currently grades the Public Education Department on several performance standards, but parents, students and teachers have no easy format to understand the performance of individual schools throughout the state. We should adopt an easy to understand, easy to implement system of grading our schools based on the traditional school grading format. Schools will be assigned letter grades of A,B,C,D or F and these grades will be posted to an easily accessible Web site for parents, students and teachers to access, which will help to increase performance in our schools as well as increasing transparency in our school system. We can only take steps to correct failure if we first identify it, and reward success if we measure it. New Mexico conducts annual testing in the state for grades 3-8 and grade 11. Currently, there are consequences under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) guidelines for schools that fail to meet certain standards. But, interventions can take years. We need to take immediate corrective steps to get schools and students achieving standards and making progress. Measuring student progress more often would evaluate not only student achievement (achieving grade level standards), but would also recognize progress in a student from year to year. This motivates children, parents, teachers and schools to continue to strive for excellence, whether they are an "A" or "F" school.
· Immediate Intervention At Failing Schools -- We cannot wait five years to fix schools that are failing. That means a whole class of students has received an inadequate education. If a school is failing, we need to begin working with that school immediately by developing stronger school curriculum, providing additional teacher support and training, working to attract high performing teachers to the school, provide remedial instruction to students who are struggling through summer school and after school programs, and provide students and parents with school options to make sure children get the education they deserve. We will not fund failure.
· Ending Truancy -- While serving as District Attorney, we established a truancy program in Doña Ana County that held parents and students accountable for class attendance. Through a partnership with schools and law enforcement, we created a truancy program that ensured students showed up for class and came prepared. We need to work together to make sure all of us are held accountable for the progress of our children.
EXPANDING K-12 OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUCCESS
If we are truly going to ensure that every child receives a good education, we have to expand the opportunities for children so they can reach their full potential.
· Real School Choice -- We need to recognize that different students learn better in different educational environments. Every family should have access to different educational opportunities, including charter schools, vocational schools, virtual classrooms or enhanced school choice. No child should be trapped. The core mission of our education system is to make sure our children learn, graduate and are job-ready. We can only accomplish this if we embrace different options that maximize the potential of every child.
· Tax Credit Scholarships -- Tuition tax credit scholarships for K-12 students help provide greater educational opportunities for students who cannot otherwise afford them. New Mexico should provide tax credits to individuals and corporations who contribute to non-profit organizations that provide scholarships to low-income students. These donors would receive a credit against their state taxes. The tuition tax credit would help offset the cost of K-12 schooling for these students, increasing school choice and educational opportunities.
· Scholarships For Students With Special Needs -- We must provide more educational choices for all students, but this is especially true for students with disabilities. If a student has an Individual Education Plan (IEP) in place, and the parents of that student are not satisfied with the progress the student is making, they will then become eligible for a scholarship which will allow them to transfer to another public school or transfer to a private school. The scholarship would be equal in amount to the funding received by the local school district for the individual student or for the cost of the private school's fees and tuition, which ever cost is less. This will allow parents the flexibility in helping choose the best educational opportunities for their children.
· Tax Credits For Summer Internships -- Many times, over the summer, students lack ongoing learning opportunities. These students typically try to find summer jobs, but in these tough economic times may have difficulty doing so. In order to expand education opportunities, particularly for low-income students, New Mexico should provide a tax credit against state taxes to employers who provide summer internships. Not only will the internships provide employers with a labor force throughout the summer, but will also provide ongoing education opportunities for students.
· Alternative Teacher Licensure -- In New Mexico, we are blessed with outstanding national laboratories, high tech businesses and the brightest minds in the nation, especially in math and science. Currently, if a professional in another field wants teach in New Mexico, their options of advancing to the classroom, regardless of their level of education, are fairly limited. We must take advantage of this wonderful resource and ease the process of allowing these individuals to become teachers, while maintaining high standards. New Mexico can do this through expanding alternative teacher licensure. By removing barriers of entry into the classroom for qualified individuals we can attract the best talent New Mexico has to offer.