The biggest issue with New Mexico educational system is not
that we are spending too little amount of money on it each year. The issue is how
do we spent that funding. How can schools that were built by the WPA be falling
apart? How can teachers and support staff be earning such low incomes? Where is
the funding for classroom supplies and classroom upgrades?
What is the educational administration doing with the
funding being allotted to public schools, colleges, and universities in this state?
Why should upper educational administration be getting top
salaries in a state that pays people who work with students every day at the
bottom of the pay scale?
These institutions have paid lobbyists who come up with
slogans like; “Let’s not micromanage the local school boards.” The lobbyists
are not paid to help low income teachers and support staff get better pay
raises. They are paid to get educational administration better pay raises.
Lobbyists are not paid to get educational employees better training but they
are paid to provide expensive trips to training events for the educational
administration. Teacher and support staff don’t get supplies but educational
administration get deferred compensation packages. Rather than upgraded
classrooms educational administration get new offices, boardrooms, and cars.
When is New Mexico taxpayers going to start demanding a
bigger bang for their taxpayer buck. This last bond issuance was voted down
because the K-12 administration was not clear on how the money would be spent
toward improving the school system. Maybe the legislature should start
demanding to know how educational funding is being spent. I did see a state
senator who is new to the Senate Finance Committee do just that this year.
I applaud Senator Jacob Candelaria for caring about how our
taxpayer’s bucks are being spent. For looking past lump sum allotments to
seeing that funding is providing benefits to our students in this state. I hope
more state senators on the Senate Finance Committee start to question how our
bucks are being spent and how it will benefit the students of New Mexico no
matter what grade level they are in presently. Accountability is not a bad objective for education when it comes to the educational administration and their highly paid taxpayer supported lobbyists.
