Richardson Completely Misses the Mark with Educational Budget Cuts

I have to admit to being completely and totally disappointed with the budget that Governor Bill Richardson put forth yesterday. The governor has decided to listen to top educational administration officials who are so out of touch with what the voting public values that like the CEO in the business world they care nothing for the students and everything for their own salaries. These administrators run our state schools, colleges and universities without any knowledge of the problems faced by educational employees working in the frontlines of education and they live in their own little fantasy world where salaries between $200,000 and $600,000 will simple not be enough for them to retire yet they expect teachers and instructional support staff to live on incomes of far less. If it comes to which of these groups should be losing jobs these administrators feel that they are far more important than the people paid to work directly with students. This failure to pursue doing the job that our educational system was created for is why these administrators are requesting cuts in areas such as teacher’s salaries and educational care and support along with reductions in student equipment and supplies. Clearly their salaries are more important than the success and achievement of our young people in their minds.

I personally think that Governor Richardson should get out of Santa Fe and listen to the people in this state that will be affected by these budget cuts. I am sure that there are a number of New Mexicans that would like to express their views on how to cut the budget in a smart way that will protect the quality of our children’s education. Now is the time for Governor Richardson to listen to classroom teachers on how important classroom size is to the quality of education. Now is the time for him to listen to college and university employees to find out the problems and obstacles they face on a daily bases. To tell people that this problem will only go on for the next year is to sell out the very people who worked the hardest to elect democrats to office in the hopes of bettering our educational system in this state.

It is not that we don’t understand that there is not as much money to be spent on education this year but that we want the money spent on classrooms and instructional employees before it is spent on administration. The smart answer is to set priorities that ensure the future success of the young people of our state. This is the year of change where the values and core beliefs of the Democratic Party are put into actions after eight long years of watching our country face failure under Republican Party Control.