Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) Secretary Kurt Steinhaus is requesting another increase in spending on the Department despite the state failing behind every single other state and the District of Columbia in education.
The request for more cash comes directly after Lujan Grisham’s administration demanded a massive lump of funding the administration claimed was an education “moonshot” to help solve New Mexico’s failing education system.
Despite the “moonshot,” New Mexico’s education system remains the lowest in the nation. The PED receives the largest sum from the state budget, making up approximately 45 percent, or around $4 billion.
Steinhaus’ department is now requesting an at least 6.3 percent increase, increasing spending for the department to $4.3 billion.
Lujan Grisham’s regime not only brought no results with its union-focused education agenda; It actually plunged New Mexico’s students into historic decline.
“We’ve got to build a budget that will deliver a better outcome of getting those licensed people in the classroom,” Steinhaus said.
From 2020 to 2022, fourth-grade mathematics scores for New Mexico children are ranked 50th out of all 50 states, being beaten only by the territory of Puerto Rico. Eighth-grade mathematics scores ranked 49th, being nearly tied with Washington D.C. and West Virginia while only beating Puerto Rico in that category.
In the category of reading, New Mexico fourth-graders ranked once again took the bottom spot, with no jurisdictions ranking higher in the category, but the District of Columbia, West Virginia, and Alaska coming close. New Mexico eighth-graders also scored the lowest in the nation, with the exception of Puerto Rico. Other states with similar low eighth-grade reading scores include Oklahoma, Alabama, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
Only 19 percent of New Mexico fourth-graders are proficient in math, while 13 percent of New Mexico eighth-graders are math proficient. 21 percent of the state’s fourth graders are proficient in reading, while 18 percent of New Mexico’s eighth graders are proficient in the same category.
In both mathematics and reading, New Mexico’s children did not change in the rankings, while all other states and jurisdictions improved post-pandemic.
Fourth-grade math scores are the lowest in 17 years, while eighth-graders scores are the lowest in 30 years. In reading, New Mexico fourth graders had the lowest scores in 13 years, while eighth graders in the same category had the lowest scores in 15 years.
Maybe the Democrats want to keep us at the bottom of the list of education… They probably realize if they start educating our children they would see what’s going on and not vote Democrat… This is a way to keep new Mexico and ongoing Democrat state
Grisham is responsible for the “Dumbing Down” of New Mexico’s students (K through 12)!
“Dumbing down” has been going on in NM for years! She’s just going to make sure they don’t get educated so the moronic party can stay in power!
PED should have NEVER been created in the first place!!! Thanks Gary Johnson. Dissolve it now, like that will ever happen.
I agree Labguy. Education department should go away. Give the decision making back to the school districts. It worked when I started teaching many years ago. The districts knew what their students needed to grow and excel. Too much government in our schools.
The systemic failings of a corrupt government is the root of New Mexico’s problems which affects every aspect of our economy, institutions, and lives.
No amount of money thrown at either will fix the problem.
But here we are – the same corrupt people making the same stupid decisions, thinking money will solve the problem, and never holding themselves accountable for the failings and messes they created.
WELL SAID!
Democrats are all IDIOTS, STUPID< MORONS< IGNORANT
Yep, some people think money grows on a tree and mlg is a a great grower of those magical trees….lol. my neighbors and your neighbors failed us all this last election.
Like a hateful divorce, more money into a dying situation rarely makes it better. New Mexico has at least an 80 year history of being last in education no matter how much revenue is increased. Something internally is dramatically wrong and more money won’t fix it. It gives the impression that the Governor is moving forward…Naught!
MLG’s been naughty. Doesn’t deserve any more money, Santa.
Don’t reward bad behavior with more cash.
Santa, don’t give PED a dime!
We elect the same government officials and expect different results over and over. What a travesty. .
Definition of Insanity!
It’s hard to teach kids who only speak Spanish. Go to Walmart in Santa Fe and that’s all you hear over there. At one store I work at there’s employees that don’t even speak English.If you live in America. Speak English. By the way my girlfriend is Mexican and speaks fluent English and Spanish. If you want to live in our country it should be necessary to learn English. Maybe all that money there putting into apparent education should be used to mandate children to learn English in summer school or some other institution.
No wonder people confuse New Mexico with Mexico.
MLG wants everything, will she get it? Probably with a temper tantrum or threats or both.? I listened to her victory speech, not a Lady.
This is why New Mexico is dead last in education; too many students can’t speak English.
They want more money to propagandize not educate our children starting at an early age. Pathetic.
Language is definitely an issue, but the size of the school administration’s is ridiculous. Individual school administration’s are ten times the size they were 30 years ago with ten times the budget for salaries. All this money that MLG gives education never reaches the kids or the classroom. If a private business produced such an inferior product, it would go out of business not get raises. Welcome to socialism 101, educate the young the way you want them to think and maintain control of them for the rest of their lives.
If you want to see the problem with American education, look at a chart illustrating the comparative
growth in the number of students, teachers, and district administrators in our public schools in the
period between 2000 and 2019. The number of district administrators grew
by a whopping 87.6 percent during these years, far outstripping the growth in the number of
students (7.6 percent) and teachers (8.7 percent).
https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/education-as-a-battleground/
NM’s PED and lack of discipline in the classroom and bilingual education and democrat government … just goes to prove, you cannot fix stupid.