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New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order on May 25 establishing an office of special education in the state’s Public Education Department.

“This position is vital to the success of the office and to moving the needle on improving our special education services,” Lujan Grisham said at Lowell Elementary School during the signing ceremony. 

She elaborated on the office’s scope of work, which entails creating a comprehensive statewide plan to address special education in New Mexico. Additionally, the office will annually update the plan, collect, and analyze special education data, and collaborate with school districts and individual schools to ensure students have the necessary resources for success.

“This office creates an opportunity for collaboration between state agencies, districts and families of students that we desperately need, and that the 50,000 New Mexico children in special education deserve,” Lujan Grisham said.

The governor’s executive order requires the office to analyze data on students with physical and mental disabilities; the effectiveness and use of special education programs and services; and disciplinary actions taken against students in special education.

Lujan Grisham created and signed the executive order after a bill aiming to establish the same office died during the legislative session. The bill passed its assigned House committees, but failed to make it to a House floor vote and through the Senate. House Bill 285 was proposed by Representative Elizabeth Thomson (D – Bernalillo), and had the support of the governor’s office, with Lujan Grisham writing on February 2 that the bill would, “strengthen special education.”

The new office will have an appointed director. Applications have been opened in what Lujan Grisham said would be a nationwide search. The governor’s office is looking for candidates that have at least 10 years of experience in K-12 education with recent experience in special education, or at least 10 years in special education policy.

“This position is vital to the success of the office and to moving the needle on improving our special education services,” said Lujan Grisham. “I am looking for someone committed to turning our current system on its head to better serve families and educators in special education.”

Representative Elizabeth Thomson (left), Governor Michelle Lujan

News

Public Education Secretary Aresnio Romero presented to the  Legislative Education Committee on May 16, where he outlined priorities he said would improve education in New Mexico. 

Romero wants to see better extended learning opportunities for students, better superintendent training, and improved data collection to better identify where schools are struggling, and how to help them.

“You are going to see outcomes, not just little outcomes,” Romero said, telling the committee they will see outcomes soon, not within months or years, “If we do this work together, we will do it fast.” 

This forward-looking statement was met with supportive criticism from LESC member, Representative John Block (R – Otero).

Block asked if quick improvements to student success was a goal the Public Education Department could reach. Romero responded, saying, “I think we are poised for dramatic impacts.” He said he has been superintendent in districts that implemented extended learning, principal training, and data collection with significant success. 

Romero said he can’t do the work alone, “but if we all do this work together, we’re going to do it and we’re going to do it fast.”

Romero then began to discuss the work that will be done to produce the results he expects.

Extended Learning

One change that will boost student outcomes is the state’s new, extended learning school calendar. “This is going to be a positive,” Romero said. He said he implemented an extended school calendar in districts where he has worked, resulting in an increase in student productivity and success.

Thanks to House Bill 130, students will have more learning time in classrooms beginning next school year. Learn more about the bill here.

Romero said he discussed root causes of student learning lags with several teachers and heard that they lacked time to teach. “This allows more time with teachers, thank you for allowing this consistency,” Romero told legislators.

Romero said data collection will begin next school year, and he will report to the committee on results next year.

Principal Residency Programs

“We have teacher shortages, sure, but we need to find strong teacher leaders.” Romero said finding strong school and district leaders who will remain in place is imperative 

The Public Education Department is rolling out a new program designed to train and teach superintendents. “[Superintendents] have been wanting and needing this,” Romero said.  “They need to rely on each other, but let’s give them some support. Many superintendents have only one or two years’ experience and we need to get them more time in their [positions].”

The PED will be utilizing an existing data tracking system that has not seen much use, according to Romero, giving superintendents, principals, teachers and parents new data about individual schools in each school district. Romero said the information will be available within the coming weeks.

Through these programs to better educate and assist school leaders, Romero said, schools will see improvements. He said the PED will place a greater emphasis on school data to determine  which  programs are working and which could use some help. 

“There are going to be schools with wonderful improvements; schools we look to so we can say how, why, and what are you doing? Some will do a good job. Others will need support,” Romero said.

New PED Leadership

Romero also introduced his new team, most of whom were in their first week, with one member not having started yet. To learn more about this leadership team, click here.

Romero Highlighted the new leaders’ achievements in academics and why this team will be important to the overall success of New Mexico’s students. The new leadership team is diverse, coming from different parts of New Mexico, and one from Texas.

Greg Frostrad is the new Assistant Secretary of Policy.

Candice Castillo is the new Deputy Secretary of Identity, Equity and Transformation.

Seana Flanagan is the Managing Director of the Public Education Department.

Amanda DeBell is the new Deputy Secretary of Teaching, Learning and Innovation.

Antonio Ortiz serves as the Director of Finance and Operations.

KatieAnn Junaico is the new Assistant Secretary for Indian Education.

Romero said, “This is the team. This is hard work, but someone has to do this hard work. This is the team.”

Secretary of Education, Arsenio Romero discusses the

News

Over the past nine months, a group of New Mexico leaders took part in a series of in-depth learning experiences, school visits and discussions about New Mexico’s education as part of the second cohort of the Changemakers Fellowship.

The fellows heard from education leaders, traveled to Illinois to see and learn from different school models, and had the opportunity to visit a variety of schools in New Mexico. 

On May 9, NewMexicoKidsCAN and Excellent Schools New Mexico graduated a class of 28 Changemakers who successfully completed the fellowship.

“The gaps that we continue to see in education are oftentimes not reflective of the broader community,” said Dr. Rick Rodriguez, 2023 Changemakers graduate. “Changemakers… brings people together from across sectors and across lived experiences to learn a little bit more about the landscape, but within that, to empower each other, and as a collective, identify what are the action steps, what are the gaps, and what are the necessary things that need to happen for us to collaborate on and move the needle as a collective,” he said.

Rodriguez came to New Mexico from Texas, understanding the current state of education and wanting to help bring positive progress to the state. “I wanted to be intentional about identifying individuals who are invested in education in this state so we can move the needle,” Rodriguez said.

Changemakers brings together people from a variety of backgrounds, like 2023 graduate Holly Siebert who works as an architect. “[Changemakers] allowed me to feel like I can keep my community accountable in the area where my kids go to school, and where my friend’s kids go to school. I can help them know they can ask questions,” Siebert said, explaining that she walked away from Changemakers with new tools to encourage school leaders. “We need to encourage people who want to be leaders to get involved in education,” she said.

Michael Feferman, a father of two elementary school students, said he is going to use the tools he acquired  from the fellowship to help improve education in the state. He said he now understands how to ask about the tools being used in the classroom, teacher pay, and school budgets. 

“All of these sessions were hopeful and inspiring, it’s not just one hopeless mess,” Feferman said. “It may be a big mess, but there are some things that we can do to change education for the better and there are examples about where this happened. There are people for us to talk to about how they did it. All of that is inspiring and gives us something to build from.”

The class traveled to Chicago, to visit high-performing schools. Siebert said that she enjoyed learning about opportunities educators have for leadership growth from the Chicago trip. Other graduates said the trip gave them an opportunity to see in action tools and curriculum they had learned about during the fellowship.

Rodriguez said he found “hope in what education can look like.” Every participant of Changemakers said they felt empowered after the fellowship ended, to address education in their communities to “change things for the better,” according to Feferman.

2022-23 Graduates

Changemakers is a nine-month fellowship where participants attend five, half-day education learning experiences; one out-of-state trip in the spring to experience high-performing schools that are making advancements in local education; and will attend at least one school district meeting in New Mexico. To learn more about Changemakers, or to apply for the opportunity, click here.

Adrienne Adams
Yasine Armstrong
Kyle Biederwolf
Nathan Brooks
Brian Buffington
Arianna Chavez
Zach Chavez
Nina Cooper
Concha Cordova
Arlene Espinoza-Armijo
Katie Esquibel
Michael Fefermam
Jacob Fox
Jeff Hoehn
Madison R. Jones
Emma Lewis
Angela Lopez
Josh Lujan
Matt Makofske
Matt O’Brien
Olivia Padilla-Jackson
Rick Rodriguez
Sarah Rovang
Gloria Ruiz
Holly Siebert
Adam Silverman
Tiare Tawil
Reilly S. White

Changemakers is a nine-month fellowship where participants

News

Secretary Arsenio Romero announced a new leadership team at the Public Education Department on May 9, consisting of five educators, all of whom have served in some administrative capacity at different educational organizations, and two of whom were promoted internally.

“These education leaders embody our vision to boost student outcomes across the board,” Romero said.  “This is my personal dream team, and I am so honored that they are all up to the task. Our work is the future of the children of New Mexico.”

The “Dream Team”

Appointed Managing Director, Seana Flanagan had been in the post on an interim basis. According to a press release from the PED, she was Division Director of Educator Quality and has been with PED since 2014. 

Before joining the Public Education Department, Flanagan was a middle school educational assistant and teacher in Vermont. She also worked in retail leadership and training for multiple companies, including Apple. 

The new Assistant Secretary of Policy Research is Gregory Frostad. He previously served as interim Policy and Legislative Affairs Director and Safe and Healthy Schools Director. 

During his nine years with the agency, he managed the COVID response for schools, supervised the submission of more than $20 million in competitive grants and worked with the legislature and governor’s office to distribute the largest funding for New Mexico schools in state history, according to the press release.

Amanda DeBell is the new Deputy Secretary of Teaching, Learning and Innovation. Currently, she serves as Albuquerque Public Schools Zone 3 Schools Associate Superintendent. In her role, she will support educator quality and curriculum, instruction and assessment. Part of her responsibilities include overseeing community and charter schools, as well as struggling schools, according to the press release.

The new Assistant Secretary of Indian Education is KatieAnn Juanico, who most recently worked for the San Felipe Pueblo as the Education Director. She he will lead Indian Education Programs, Native American language and culture projects, and tribal consultations.

Candice Castillo is the new Deputy Secretary of Identity, Equity and Transformation.She comes to New Mexico from Houston, Texas where she is Executive Officer of Student Support Services at Houston Independent School District. 

Castillo will oversee federal programs, safe and healthy schools, language and culture, and the Black and Hispanic Education Acts, as well as student, school and family support. Castillo is the only new PED leader who is not from New Mexico, but according to the press release, she “heralds from a diverse area of Texas.”

On May 8, Secretary Arsenio Romero announced

News

To protect school campuses and better equip their teachers, the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education will require all staff to wear crisis response badges beginning in the 2023-24 school year. 

The badge, which will be small and discreet, allows staff to call for immediate assistance to their location. The Board of Education voted April 26 to approve a $7.2 million, five-year contract with Centegix on a 4-2 vote.

The new device, called the Centegix CrisisAlert System, will be used in 141 schools across the district, and 17 non-school district facilities. CrisisAlert is a tool currently deployed in more than 4,000 schools across the country. Its reach expanded after Florida and New Jersey passed laws requiring all teachers to be equipped with a wearable, silent, mobile panic system. 

The cost includes maintenance fees, equipment for all staff, equipment installation and training for all staff. The school district required a termination clause in the contract, which can be used if the district is unhappy with the service in the future.

CrisisAlert is a rectangular badge with a button on the back that can be pressed quickly and easily by a staff member. When the button is pressed, an alert is sent to a central command set up in the school which alerts administrators about the exact location of the person who pressed the button. 

“Location information is usually the first verbal information needed [by first responders],” said Dean Olds, Centegix spokesman.

Portable badges will be accompanied with new alarms in each classroom; these alarms sit on the exterior doors of each classroom, Olds said. If a situation is serious, a staff member can  repeatedly press the button notifying every classroom with a strobing red light from the alarm. The visual notification will be accompanied by an audio alert to inform staff members that a serious situation is taking place in the school. Pressing the button multiple times will alert Centegix’s dispatch center so law enforcement can be notified.

The badges run on batteries and do not need to connect with the school’s Wi-Fi. They also  operate with their own location technology to get assistance to the correct area when a button is pressed. 

Gabrielle Blakey, APS Chief Operations Officer, said that this alert will leverage “the ability to improve our communication with staff, principals, police, and all of the responders that we need in case of emergencies.” If issues arise with batteries, or other parts of the technology, Centegix said they would handle the maintenance.

Board Member Peggy Mueller Aragon asked about false alarms, mentioning that teachers with younger students might have students grab the badge and press the button. In response, Olds said that across the country, less than five percent of all button presses are false alarms.

Board Member Barbara Petersen, while endorsing the new safety system, bemoaned the fact that it is necessary. “It actually makes me pretty fundamentally angry that we are between this rock and a hard place for how we keep schools safe, and how we keep students safe,” Petersen said.  We keep a [bandage] over the safety of our kids when we haven’t invested in what we need to invest in.” She went on to ask for the district to compile a list of all the funding put into school safety and security over the last year, adding, “the community really needs to understand that there is a cost, and it is at the expense of our students. This is where our money is going, instead to what they really need.” (sic.)

Muller Aragon voted no, saying, “I just think we can use this money to really improve school safety in a different way. That was a hard decision.”

Board Member Danielle Gonzales also voted no, raising a series of questions about the effectiveness of the tool to help secure school sites.

This small, portable badge will be used

News

Albuquerque Public Schools will have later start times for the 2023-2024 school year than in years past.

The change comes after the school district reviewed studies about positive impacts on middle- and high-school student mental health when class starts later in the morning. 

Middle schools will see an hour difference to their start times compared to the current school year. Currently, all middle schools begin at 8:15 a.m. and release just after 3 p.m. Under the new schedule, middle schools will begin at 9:15 a.m. and release at 4:15 p.m. Only Roosevelt Middle School will begin earlier – at 7:30 a.m. – and release earlier – 2:30 p.m.

Under the new schedule, high schools will start an hour later than their current start time. High schools will formally start their day at 8:40 a.m. and release at 3:40 p.m., with all extracurricular and athletic activities beginning after school. 

The new start and end times also make substantial changes to elementary school schedules. Most elementary schools will start at 7:30 a.m. and end at 3:30 p.m., while some will start at 8:05 a.m. and end at 3:05 p.m.

Superintendent Scott Elder noted that elementary schools require staggered schedules because of a shortage of buses and bus drivers.

Elementary schools already have staggered start times. The change for the upcoming school year simply pushes those start times earlier. Currently, some schools begin at 7:45 a.m. and end just before 2 p.m., while others start after 9 a.m. and end just before 4 p.m. Check below for a full list of elementary schools and their new start times.

“We recognize that this change will be disruptive to our families, but the research is clear that this is the right thing to do,” said Superintendent Scott Elder. “It will take some getting used to, but our kids will be better off for it.”

Impacts on Mental Health

APS and the Albuquerque Teachers Federation worked together in a joint task force to find the best ways to support the mental health and productivity of high- and middle-schoolers during the school day. The task force reviewed a 2014 article in the American Academy of Pediatrics called School Start Times for Adolescents and a 2022 article from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called Schools Start Too Early both of which address the functionality of middle and high school students who start school earlier in the day compared to those who started school later in the day.

“The group considered a wide breadth of research on the importance of adolescents starting school later than the current APS schedule,” the task force wrote in its recommendation. “The body of research agrees that adolescents should not begin school prior to 8:30 a.m. in order to support productive, healthy sleep patterns and brain development.”

The research reviewed by the task force notes that adolescent brains are wired in such a way that they fall asleep later in the night and wake up later in the morning, and that early start times for those students interferes with their natural brain rhythms.

To further advance their point, the taskforce wrote, “[A] lack of sleep in adolescents is associated with such health risks as being overweight, drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, and using drugs. The CDC also notes that failure to get enough sleep is associated with poor academic performance.”

APS is not the first district in the state to enact later start times for students. Both Santa Fe Public Schools and Las Cruces Public Schools have done so as well. “We’ve been tasked with improving student outcomes, and part of that is taking a hard look at what’s working and what’s not working in our schools,” said Dr. Channell Segura, APS Chief of Schools. “Early start times for high school students are not working, and it’s time for us to step up and do something about it.”

Elementary School Start Times

Schools starting at 7:30 a.m. and releasing at 2:30 p.m., in alphabetical order:

A Montoya, Arroyo del Oso, Bandelier, Chaparral, Chelwood, Cien Aguas, Collet Park, Comanche, Dennis Chavez, Double Eagle, EG Ross, George I. Sanchez, Governor Bent, Hodgin, Janet Kahn, John Baker, Marie Hughes, Manzano Mesa, McCollum, Mission, Mitchell, Monte Vista, Montezuma, NACA, Navajo, Oñate, Painted Sky, Petroglyph, Sandia Base, Sombre del Monte, Sunset View, Tierra Antigua, Valle Vista, Zia, Zuni

Schools starting at 7:30 a.m. and releasing at 3 p.m., in alphabetical order:

Alamosa, Atrisco, Carlos Rey, Lavaland, Mary Ann Binford

Schools starting at 8:05 a.m. and releasing at 3:05 p.m., in alphabetical order:

Alameda, Adobe Acres, Alvarado, Apache, Armijo, Barcelona, Chamiza, Christine Duncan Charter, Cochiti, Corrales, Dolores Gonzales, Duranes, Edward Gonzales/Helen Cordero, Eugene Field, Georgia O’Keeffe, Griegos, Hubert Humphrey, Kit Carson, MacArthur, La Mesa, Mark Twain, Mountain View, North Star, Osuna, Rudolfo Anaya, Seven Bar, Sierra Vista, South Valley, SR Marmon, SY Jackson, Tomasita, Tres Volcanes, Ventana Ranch, Wherry

Schools starting at 8:05 a.m. and releasing at 3:35 p.m., in alphabetical order:

Bel-Air, Bellhaven, E. San Jose, Emerson, Hawthorne, Inez, Kirtland, Lew Wallace, Longfellow, Los Padillas, Los Ranchos, Lowell, Matheson Park, Pajarito, Reginald Chavez, Whittier

Schools starting at 8:40 a.m. and releasing at 3:40 p.m.::

San Antonito

Albuquerque Public Schools will be starting later

News

The 2023 legislative session came to an end with a total of 71 bills being introduced with the specific intentions of changing education in New Mexico. Of all these bills, 18 became law, 49 bills died, and four were vetoed by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. Of the bills that passed, one will allow free breakfast and lunches for all students in the state while the other will make menstrual products available free-of-cost to girls at school One focuses on extending the school year, and another looks at giving athletic coaches better training to protect children. A list of all education bills proposed during this year’s legislative session is below.

To read details about the bills that became law, click here.

To read details about bills that died and were vetoed, click here.

Education Bills that Became Law

House Bill 127 – Education Assistant Salary Increase – Rep. Susan Herrera (D – Rio Arriba, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Taos)

House Bill 130 – K-12 Plus Program – Rep. Joy Garratt (D – Bernalillo)

House Bill 134 – Menstrual Products in School Bathrooms – Rep. Christine Trujillo (D – Bernalillo)

House Bill 181 – National Board Certified Program Units – Rep. Debra Sarinana (D – Bernalillo)

House Bill 199 – Increase School At-Risk Index – Rep. Brian Baca (R – Valencia)

House Bill 342 – Education Savings Plan Uses – Rep. Ryan Lane (R – San Juan)

House Bill 401 – Rename Technology for Education Act – Rep. Brian Baca (R – Valencia)

House Bill 481 – Align School Reading Materials – Rep. Ryan Lane (R – San Juan)

House Bill 533 – School Group Insurance Contributions – Rep. Raymundo Lara (D – Doña Ana)

Senate Bill 4 – Healthy Universal School Meals – Sen. Michael Padilla (D – Bernalillo)

Senate Bill 120 – Open Enrollment for Military Children – Sen. Harold Pope (D – Bernalillo)

Senate Bill 131 – Public School Funding Changes – Sen. Mimi Stewart (D – Bernalillo)

Senate Bill 307 – Licensed Teacher Prep Affordability –  Sen. Mimi Stewart (D – Bernalillo)

Senate Bill 383 – Public Ed. Background Check Process – Sen. Mimi Stewart (D – Bernalillo)

Senate Bill 397 – School-Based Health Center – Sen. Nancy Rodriguez (D – Santa Fe)

Senate Bill 417 – Teacher Vocational Ed Licensure Track – Sen. Craig Brandt (R – Sandoval)

Senate Bill 450 – School Coach CPR and AED Training – Sen. Cliff Pirtle (R – Chavez, Eddy, Otero)

Senate Bill 474 – School District In-Lieu-Of-Taxes Payments – Benny Shendo, Jr. (D – Bernalillo, McKinley, Rio Arriba, San Juan, Sandoval)

Bills that Died

House Bill 30 – Public School Ventilation Improvement Act – Rep. Christine Chandler (D – Los Alamos, Sandoval, Santa Fe)

House Bill 36 – School Group Insurance Contributions – Rep. Raymundo Lara (D -Doña Ana)

House Bill 39 – Dual-Licensed Instructional Support Providers – Rep. Elizabeth Thomson (D – Bernalillo)

House Bill 43 – Affirmative Consent Policy in Schools, – Rep. Elizabeth Thomson (D – Bernalillo)

House Bill 102 – Health Care Insurance for Educators – Rep. Raymundo Lara (D – Doña Ana)

House Bill 111 – Holocaust and Genocide Studies Act – Rep. Pamelya Herndon (D – Bernalillo)

House Bill 112 – Public School Wellness Room Pilot Project – Rep. Pamelya Herndon (D – Bernalillo)

House Bill 149 – Public Ed Dept. Native American Funding – Rep. Derrick Lente (D – Rio Arriba, Sandoval, San Juan)

House Bill 152 – Prueba De Espanol Para La Certification – Rep. Christine Trujillo (D – Bernalillo)

House Bill 194 – Public School Finance Changes – Rep. Nathan Small (D – Doña Ana)

House Bill 254 – School Marshal Act – Rep. Martin Zamora (R – Curry, DeBaca, Guadalupe, Roosevelt, San Miguel)

House Bill 256 – Hybrid Dual Credit Pilot Project – Rep. Andres Romero (D – Bernalillo)

House Bill 279 – Personal Finance Class for Graduation – Rep. Cathryn Brown (R – Eddy, Lea)

House Bill 283 – School Marshal Act – Rep. Stefani Lord (R – Bernalillo, Torrance)

House Bill 285 – Office of Special Education – Rep. Liz Thomson (D – Bernalillo)

House Bill 295 – Firearms on School Property Software – Rep. Greg Nibert (R – Chaves)

House Bill 296 – Instructional Support Providers – Rep. Raymondo Lara (D – Doña Ana)

House Bill 302 – School-Age Name, Image and Likeness Use – Rep. Ambrose Castellano (D – San Miguel, Torrance)

House Bill 325 – School Board Governance Changes – Rep. Natalie Figueroa (D – Bernalillo)

House Bill 335 – School Computer Science Classes – Rep. Debra Sarinana (D – Bernalillo)

House Bill 355 – Dev. Disability Transitional Education PGMS – Rep. Elizabeth Thomson (D – Bernalillo)

House Bill 383 – Summer and Out-of-School Time Programming – Rep. Natalie Figueroa (D – Bernalillo)

House Bill 394 – No Gender Reassignment Teaching in Schools – Rep. John Block (R – Otero)

House Bill 396 – Increase Local School Board Term Length – Rep. Susan Herrera (D – Rio Arriba, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Taos)

House Bill 413 – School Load Class Sizes – Rep. Christine Trujillo (D – Bernalillo)

House Bill 464 – Improve Educational Outcomes – Rep. Yanira Gurrola (D – Bernalillo)

House Bill 472 – Career Tech Educator Community Ed. Act – Rep. Pamelya Herndon (D – Bernalillo)

House Bill 483 – School Gifted Education Requirements – Rep. Christine Trujillo (D – Bernalillo)

House Bill 487 – No Teaching of Critical Raza Theory – Rep. Rod Montoya (R – San Juan)

House Bill 506 – Ethnic Studies Standards – Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero (D – Bernalillo)

Senate Bill 60 – Photovoltaic Systems in New Public Schools – Sen. William Soules (D – Doña Ana)

Senate Bill 93 – Mora School Security – Sen. Pete Campos (D – Colfax, Guadalupe, Harding, Mora, Quay, San Miguel, Taos)

Senate Bill 95 – Statewide School Safety – Sen. George Munoz (D – Cibola, McKinley, San Juan)

Senate Bill 234 – No Soda Sales on School Grounds – Sen. Gregg Schmedes (R – Bernalillo, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Torrance)

Senate Bill 306 – Health Centers in Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon – Sen. Pete Campos (Colfax, Guadalupe, Harding, Mora, Quay, San Miguel, Taos)

Senate Bill 340 – Define Public Ed Ethnic Studies – Sen. Linda Lopez (D – Bernalillo)

Senate Bill 384 – School Athletics Changes – Sen. Antonio Maestas (D – Bernalillo)

Senate Bill 387 – School Student Restraint or Isolation – Sen. Linda Lopez (D – Bernalillo)

Senate Bill 400 – Middle and Junior High School Redesign – Sen. William Soules (D – Doña Ana)

Senate Bill 437 – Vocational Rehabilitation Act – Sen. Linda Lopez (D – Bernalillo)

Senate Bill 490 – Head Varsity Coach Bonuses – Sen. Benny Shendo, Jr. (D – Bernalillo, McKinley, Rio Arriba, San Juan, Sandoval)

Senate Bill 492 – Education Retirees Returning to Work – Sen. George Munoz (D – Cibola, McKinley, San Juan)

Education Bills Vetoed

House Bill 125 – School Dual Credit Task Force – Rep. Andres Romero (D – Bernalillo)

House Bill 126 – School Graduation Requirements – Rep. Andres Romero (D – Bernalillo)

House Bill 216 – LESC Public Education Study – Rep. Andres Romero (D – Bernalillo)

House Bill 375 – Charter School Expenditure Plan – Rep. Joy Garratt (D – Bernalillo)

The 2023 legislative session came to an

News

The 2023 New Mexico Legislative Session came to an end with many bills failing to earn the governor’s signature for one reason or another. A total 71 education bills were proposed, 18 of which became law, 49 died, and four were vetoed.

For a bill to become law in the state of New Mexico, it must begin in either the state House of Representatives or the state Senate, go through its assigned committee hearings, and then pass a vote of the full chamber. It then repeats the process in the other chamber. If a bill is successful, it becomes law if signed by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. Many bills do not make it to that final stage for any number of reasons, passing two committees and a vote of the whole chamber is difficult for any bill, but making it through that process twice is a challenge.

Notable Bills that Died

House Bill 52,International Baccalaureate Program Tests, would have provided money for the Public Education Department to distribute to public schools so they could provide international baccalaureate program tests free of charge to New Mexico students. This bill was sponsored by Rep. Anthony Allison (D – San Juan) and died in the House Appropriations and Finance Committee.

House Bill 85, Public School Redistricting, would require Albuquerque Public Schools to split into smaller districts. This bill was sponsored by Rep. Bill Rehm (R – Bernalillo) and did not receive a committee hearing.

House Bill 108, Transfer of Certain School Students, would have required that students attending low performing schools be given priority for enrollment in other public schools in the school district. The bill was sponsored by Rep. John Block (R – Otero) and did not receive a committee hearing.

House Bill 143, School Board Governance Requirements, would have made several changes to the law related to school boards, ranging from requiring quarterly reports to requiring mandatory training for local school boards and governing bodies. This bill was sponsored by Rep. Natalie Figueroa (D – Bernalillo) and died in the House Education Committee

House Bill 252, School District Attendance Incentives, would have provided school districts with funding incentives to increase student attendance. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Martin Zamora (R – Curry, DeBaca, Guadalupe, Roosevelt, San Miguel) and did not receive a committee hearing.

House Bill 448, Dropout Recovery Act, would have required the Public Education Department to annually maintain a list of students who are identified as dropouts and create opportunities for them to enter a “dropout recovery school.” The bill was sponsored by Trujillo (D – Bernalillo) and died in the House Appropriations and Finance Committee.

House Bill 480, Education Freedom Account Act, would have created a new fund in the Public Education Department. The program would establish contracts between parents and PED to pay for private school and other eligible expenses by creating “education freedom accounts.”  The bill was sponsored by Rep. Ryan Lane (R – San Juan) and did not receive a committee hearing.

Education Bills Vetoed

House Bill 125, School Dual Credit Task Force, would have created a Dual Credit Task Force to study the effectiveness of dual credit courses. This bill was sponsored by Rep. Andres Romero (D – Bernalillo) but was vetoed due to an already existing task force that studies dual credit classes.

House Bill 126, School Graduation and Requirements, would have made changes to graduation requirements for students, decreasing the number of credits required to graduate, and amending the courses required to graduate. This bill was sponsored by Romero (D – Bernalillo) and vetoed by Governor Lujan Grisham because it weakens graduation standards. Read more about the Governor’s veto of this bill here. 

House Bill 216, LESC Public Education Study, would have added early childhood education and higher education to the purview of the Legislative Education Study Committee. This bill was sponsored by Romero (D – Bernalillo). In her veto message, Lujan Grisham wrote, “would be an inefficient use of government resources and duplication of studies; the Higher Education Department and the Early Childhood Education and Care Department already perform robust studies of higher and early childhood education.”

House Bill 375, Charter School Expenditure Plan, required charter school authorities to provide oversight and expenditure plans for use of state funds withheld by the charter school’s authorizer. This bill was sponsored by Rep. Joy Garratt (D – Bernalillo) and passed both chambers of the legislature but was pocket vetoed by the governor.

Other Bills that Died

  • House Bill 30 – Public School Ventilation Improvement Act – Rep. Christine Chandler (D – Los Alamos, Sandoval, Santa Fe)
  • House Bill 36 – School Group Insurance Contributions – Rep. Raymundo Lara (D -Doña Ana)
  • House Bill 39 – Dual-Licensed Instructional Support Providers – Rep. Elizabeth Thomson (D – Bernalillo)
  • House Bill 43 – Affirmative Consent Policy in Schools, – Rep. Elizabeth Thomson (D – Bernalillo)
  • House Bill 102 – Health Care Insurance for Educators – Raymundo (D – Doña Ana)
  • House Bill 111 – Holocaust and Genocide Studies Act – Rep. Pamelya Herndon (D – Bernalillo)
  • House Bill 112 – Public School Wellness Room Pilot Project – Herndon (D – Bernalillo)
  • House Bill 149 – Public Ed Dept. Native American Funding – Rep. Derrick Lente (D – Rio Arriba, Sandoval, San Juan)
  • House Bill 152 – Prueba De Espanol Para La Certification – Rep. Christine Trujillo (D – Bernalillo)
  • House Bill 194 – Public School Finance Changes – Rep. Nathan Small (D – Doña Ana)
  • House Bill 254 – School Marshal Act – Rep. Zamora (R – Curry, DeBaca, Guadalupe, Roosevelt, San Miguel)
  • House Bill 256 – Hybrid Dual Credit Pilot Project – Rep. Andres Romero (D – Bernalillo)
  • House Bill 279 – Personal Finance Class for Graduation – Rep. Cathryn Brown (R – Eddy, Lea)
  • House Bill 283 – School Marshal Act – Rep. Stefani Lord (R – Bernalillo, Torrance)
  • House Bill 285 – Office of Special Education – Rep. Liz Thomson (D – Bernalillo)
  • House Bill 295 – Firearms on School Property Software – Rep. Greg Nibert (R – Chaves)
  • House Bill 296 – Instructional Support Providers – Rep. Raymondo Lara (D – Doña Ana)
  • House Bill 302 – School-Age Name, Image and Likeness Use – Rep. Ambrose Castellano (D – San Miguel, Torrance)
  • House Bill 325 – School Board Governance Changes – Rep. Natalie Figueroa (D – Bernalillo)
  • House Bill 335 – School Computer Science Classes – Rep. Debra Sarinana (D – Bernalillo)
  • House Bill 355 – Dev. Disability Transitional Education PGMS – Rep. Elizabeth Thomson (D – Bernalillo)
  • House Bill 383 – Summer and Out-of-School Time Programming – Rep. Natalie Figueroa (D – Bernalillo)
  • House Bill 394 – No Gender Reassignment Teaching in Schools – Rep. John Block (R – Otero)
  • House Bill 396 – Increase Local School Board Term Length – Rep. Susan Herrera (D – Rio Arriba, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Taos)
  • House Bill 413 – School Load Class Sizes – Rep. Christine Trujillo (D – Bernalillo)
  • House Bill 464 – Improve Educational Outcomes – Rep. Yanira Gurrola (D – Bernalillo)
  • House Bill 472 – Career Tech Educator Community Ed. Act – Rep. Pemelya Herndon (D – Bernalillo)
  • House Bill 483 – School Gifted Education Requirements – Rep. Christine Trujillo (D – Bernalillo)
  • House Bill 487 – No Teaching of Critical Raza Theory – Rep. Rod Montoya (R – San Juan)
  • House Bill 506 – Ethnic Studies Standards – Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero (D – Bernalillo)
  • Senate Bill 60 – Photovoltaic Systems in New Public Schools – Sen. William Soules (D – Doña Ana)
  • Senate Bill 93 – Mora School Security – Sen. Pete Campos (D – Colfax, Guadalupe, Harding, Mora, Quay, San Miguel, Taos)
  • Senate Bill 95 – Statewide School Safety – Sen. George Munoz (D – Cibola, McKinley, San Juan)
  • Senate Bill 234 – No Soda Sales on School Grounds – Sen. Gregg Schmedes (R – Bernalillo, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Torrance)
  • Senate Bill 306 – Health Centers in Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon – Sen. Pete Campos (Colfax, Guadalupe, Harding, Mora, Quay, San Miguel, Taos)
  • Senate Bill 340 – Define Public Ed Ethnic Studies – Sen. Linda Lopez (D – Bernalillo)
  • Senate Bill 384 – School Athletics Changes – Senator Antonio Maestas (D – Bernalillo)
  • Senate Bill 387 – School Student Restraint or Isolation – Sen. Linda Lopez (D – Bernalillo)
  • Senate Bill 400 – Middle and Junior High School Redesign – Sen. William Soules (D – Doña Ana)
  • Senate Bill 437 – Vocational Rehabilitation Act – Sen. Linda Lopez (D – Bernalillo)
  • Senate Bill 490 – Head Varsity Coach Bonuses – Sen. Benny Shendo, Jr. (D – Bernalillo, McKinley, Rio Arriba, San Juan, Sandoval)
  • Senate Bill 492 – Education Retirees Returning to Work – Sen. George Munoz (D – Cibola, McKinley, San Juan)

The 2023 New Mexico Legislative Session came

News

The 2023 New Mexico Legislative Session came to an end with 18 education bills becoming law. These bills aim to change the future of education by increasing student achievement  through new initiatives, making breakfast and lunch free for all students, and increasing pay for school staff.

For a bill to become law in the state of New Mexico, it must begin in either the state House of Representatives or the state Senate, go through its assigned committee hearings, and then pass a vote of the full chamber. It will then repeat the process in the other chamber. If a bill is successful in both chambers, it will then go to the governor for a signature. The governor can either sign the bill or veto it. In this story, NM Education will explore the education bills signed by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.

The following 18 bills became law:

House Bill 127, Education Assistant Salary Increase, requires all school districts to increase the minimum salary for licensed education assistants in their district to at least $25,000. This bill was sponsored by Rep. Susan Herrera (D – Rio Arriba, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Taos).

House Bill 130, K-12 Plus Program, increases the number of instructional hours for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Each school district will have the ability to implement these new hours by adding days, extending the school day, or a mix of both. best. This bill was sponsored by Rep. Joy Garratt (D – Bernalillo).

House Bill 134, Menstrual Products in School Bathrooms, requires menstrual products to be provided in school bathrooms. This bill was sponsored by Rep. Christine Trujillo (D – Bernalillo).

House Bill 181, National Board Certified Program Units, extends differential eligibility of National Board Certified Teachers to counselors and administrators with a current certification. This bill was sponsored by Rep. Debra Sarinana (D – Bernalillo).

House Bill 199, Increase School At-Risk Index, increases the at-risk index and the fine arts factor in the school funding formula. The bill also increases the responsibility factors for principals and assistant principals which results in higher pay school administrators. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Brian Baca (R – Valencia).

House Bill 342, Education Savings Plan Uses, aligns New Mexico’s uses of Education Savings Plans provided for in the Education Trust Act to comply with federally allowable uses of the savings. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Ryan Lane (R – San Juan).

House Bill 401, Rename Technology for Education Act, renamed the Technology for Education Act as the Digital Equity in Education Act. This bill was sponsored by Rep. Brian Baca (R – Valencia).

House Bill 481, Align School Reading Materials, incentivizes school districts to align their literacy curriculum aligned to structured literacy. . The bill was sponsored by Lane (R – San Juan).

House Bill 533, School Group Insurance Contributions, requires districts to pay at least 80 percent of the health insurance premium for employees earning less than $50,000, at least 70 percent of the premium for those earning between $50,000 and $60,000, and 60 percent of the premium for those earning $60,000 thousand or more. This bill was sponsored by Rep. Raymundo Lara (D – Doña Ana).

Senate Bill 4, Healthy Universal School Meals, will allow all students in New Mexico to have free breakfast and lunch regardless of their socio-economic status. This bill was sponsored by Sen. Michael Padilla (D – Bernalillo).

Senate Bill 120, Open Enrollment for Military Children provides open enrollment flexibility for children of military families across the state. This bill was sponsored by Sen. Harold Pope (D – Bernalillo).

Senate Bill 131, Public School Funding Changes makes changes to the Public School Capital Outlay Act to improve school districts’ access to public school capital outlay funding. The bill also makes technical clean-up changes to simplify the Public School Capital Outlay Act. This bill was sponsored by Sen. Mimi Stewart (D – Bernalillo).

Senate Bill 307, Licensed Teacher Prep Affordability, expands eligibility in the Teacher Preparation Affordability Scholarship program to allow licensed teachers seeking graduate degrees to participate by eliminating a requirement that students must be enrolled half-time to qualify for a scholarship. This bill was sponsored by Sen. Mimi Stewart (D – Bernalillo).

Senate Bill 383, Public Ed. Background Check Process, calls on schools to improve the process for conducting required criminal history record checks and requires confidentiality of school staff. This bill was sponsored by Sen. Mimi Stewart (D – Bernalillo).

Senate Bill 397, School-Based Health Center, mandates a change to the Public Health Act that calls on schools to create and operate school-based health centers. This bill was sponsored by Sen. Nancy Rodriguez (D – Santa Fe).

Senate Bill 417, Teacher Vocational Ed Licensure Track, will create a Vocational Education licensure track for teachers, allowing tradesmen to more easily access teacher certification to teach CTE courses. This bill was sponsored by Sen. Craig Brandt (R – Sandoval).

Senate Bill 450, School Coach CPR and AED Training, requires athletics coaches employed by school districts to be certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and trained in the use of automated defibrillators. This bill was sponsored by Sen. Cliff Pirtle (R – Chavez, Eddy, Otero).

Senate Bill 474, School District In-Lieu-Of-Taxes Payments, addresses how certain payment-in-lieu-of-taxes payments are distributed among school districts. This bill was sponsored by Sen. Benny Shendo, Jr. (D – Bernalillo, McKinley, Rio Arriba, San Juan, Sandoval).

The 2023 New Mexico Legislative Session came

News

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham vetoed a bill April 7 that would have reduced high school graduation requirements for New Mexico students. House Bill 126 would have reduced the number of credits necessary for graduation from 24 to 22, as well as eliminated the requirement that students take Algebra II, advanced placement, and dual credit courses which are currently required by law for students to graduate.

The bill was sponsored by State Representative G. Andres Romero (D – Bernalillo) and Rep. Ryan Lane (R – San Juan). The legislation garnered significant bipartisan support in both chambers, passing the House of Representatives with a 64-3 vote on Feb. 22; and the Senate with a 40-0 vote on March 16. But the bill failed to escape Lujan Grisham’s veto pen. “HB 126 lowers the minimum requirements to graduate from high school and weakens graduation standards by removing the current requirement that students complete one course unit in either career/workplace readiness or a language other than English; by removing the requirement that students complete one course unit in dual credit, honors, advanced placement, or distance learning; and by reducing physical education requirements,” Lujan Grisham wrote in a message to the House of Representatives explaining her veto. 

“As governor of New Mexico, I am deeply committed to ensuring that our students receive the highest quality education possible. I firmly believe that education is the foundation for a successful society and a strong economy, and we must do everything in our power to provide our students with the tools they need to succeed.”

During debate on the House floor, Rep. Romero argued that individual school districts would have the ability to increase their standards for graduation, either by raising the required number of credits or mandating specific classes necessary for graduation. 

“The challenges of the 21st Century demand that our students are well-prepared, well-educated, and well-rounded individuals,” Lujan Grisham wrote in her veto message, “Because of these issues… I have vetoed House Bill 126.”

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham exercised her power