According to figures compiled by the Rio Grande Foundation (RGF), Albuquerque Public Schools is spending an insane amount of taxpayer dollars per student while enrollment in the school declines.
“Albuquerque Public Schools, the State’s largest district unveiled its FY 2024 budget (next school year) and it’s a doozy. As noted on the APS website, total district spending for the upcoming fiscal year will be $2.16 billion,” wrote the group.
RGF noted, “According to the just-passed budget (which we obtained) the District’s enrollment will have dropped (again) to 68,902. So, dividing the $2.16 billion budget by 68,902 students gets you a mind-blowing spending number of $31,349 PER STUDENT!”
“That’s an increase of almost 69% since 2020 PER STUDENT. Will APS or any of New Mexico’s other school districts be able to move the needle on student outcomes or is the State just pouring good money after bad?”
On average, education systems nationwide spend $15,120 per pupil in K-12 public education annually, according to figures from the Education Data Initiative. That means APS delves out more money than double the national average per student.
Despite the high spending, the school district has only a three percent higher graduation rate than the state at 80 percent versus the state average of 77 percent.
“Public Schools in Albuquerque Public Schools School District have an average math proficiency score of 52% (versus the New Mexico public school average of 25%), and reading proficiency score of 75% (versus the 58% statewide average),” according to Public School Review.
On Thursday, Democrat New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham sidestepped the state Legislature to unilaterally create an “Office of Special Education” within her New Mexico Public Education Department.
“The governor — who sidestepped the legislative process in creating the agency through an executive order — joined educators, families and top state education officials at Lowell Elementary School in Albuquerque to announce the effort, framing it as an opportunity to create streamlined services that stretch from birth through college,” reported the Santa Fe New Mexican.
A bill to do just this died in the 2023 Legislative Session amid concerns over local control of such programs in the state. The bill never got a vote in the state House of Representatives.
“I’m not waiting one more minute to get the services and the supports and the education that every student in New Mexico needs,” the governor said, echoing previous remarks she made when she forced through a special session to legalize recreational marijuana in 2021.
At the time, she screamed during a virtual meeting with a group of supporters, “We’re gonna have a special session in a week or so, and we’re gonna get cannabis because I am not gonna wait another year. We’re gonna win it, and it’s gonna have the social justice aspects that we know have to be in a package!”
“This is an elevation of special education,” Lujan Grisham said of her new executive order-sanctioned office, despite New Mexico children being woefully underserved by the failing governmental departments already in place to supposedly protect them, such as the PED and the Children, Youth, and Families Department (CYFD).
Now, the state will have a new bureaucratic office to likely mismanage disability issues in schools. Currently, the state ranks last out of every other state in the nation in education.
It is currently unclear what portion of the PED budget would be allocated to the office since the Department did not get funding in the 2023 Legislative Session for the then-nonexistent office. The latest move by the governor not only usurps the Legislature’s powers to create the office but also its appropriation power.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s rule that regulates waterways in a unanimous 9-0 decision.
The Court’s decision on Sackett v. EPA narrows Waters of the United States (WOTUS), instructing the government to define a waterway as a “continuous surface connection” to major water bodies.
The New Mexico-based eco-left group bemoaned the decision on Twitter, writing, “Everyone should be troubled by this Supreme Court ruling on #SackettvEPA. The #SCOTUS decision puts polluters over people, resulting in extreme consequences for the @EPA’s ability to protect our nation’s waters.”
Everyone should be troubled by this Supreme Court ruling on #SackettvEPA. The #SCOTUS decision puts polluters over people, resulting in extreme consequences for the @EPA’s ability to protect our nation’s waters.
Another leftist group in the state, Amigos Bravos, wrote, “The Supreme Court just issued a ruling that severely weakens the Clean Water Act in Sackett v. EPA, putting New Mexico’s communities, public health, and local ecosystems at risk – especially those most vulnerable to pollution and intensifying climate disasters.”
BREAKING: The Supreme Court just issued a ruling that severely weakens the Clean Water Act in Sackett v. EPA, putting New Mexico’s communities, public health, and local ecosystems at risk – especially those most vulnerable to pollution and intensifying climate disasters. #WOTUS
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer angrily wrote in a statement, “This MAGA Supreme Court is continuing to erode our country’s environmental laws,” adding, “Make no mistake – this ruling will mean more polluted water, and more destruction of wetlands.”
Apparently, Schumer is unaware that every SCOTUS judge voted for the decision — including the three leftist justices Sonya Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Joe Biden’s White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also blasted the decision, saying Thursday, “It will jeopardize the sources of clean drinking water for farmers, businesses, and millions of Americans.”
UPDATE: Democrat New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham bemoaned the decision in a statement via Twitter:
I have directed my administration to immediately begin identifying any regulatory gaps that we can fill at the state level, working together across agencies, the Legislature, communities and with other partners to make sure our water and our public health remain protected.
— Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (@GovMLG) May 26, 2023
New footage shot by war correspondents Michael Yon and Chuck Holton shows tons of materials meant for the construction of the United States’ southern border wall with Mexico wasting away in New Mexico.
President Donald Trump worked to fulfill his campaign promise of building the wall during his term in office, getting hundreds of miles built to protect the country’s wide-open border.
Unfortunately, when Joe Biden came to power in 2021, he nixed the finishing of the border barrier, thus leaving the materials to rot while leaving massive gaping holes in the wall — emboldening illegal immigration.
Yon wrote, “Unused Border Wall in New Mexico last week,” noting, “Millions of dollars of border wall sitting unused as America is invaded by millions, and we pour buckets of billions into Ukraine.”
Unused Border Wall in New Mexico last week. @rangerholton and I came to this same spot days after Puppet Biden was installed into office, and I just returned. Millions of dollars of border wall sitting unused as America is invaded by millions, and we pour buckets of billions… pic.twitter.com/nUY0sGuRK4
New Mexico currently has over 53 miles of border that are not protected whatsoever with any wall built by pre-Trump administrations or under the 45th president’s administration. There have been scourges of illegal border crossings, especially near Antelope Wells, Santa Teresa, and El Paso ports of entry.
According to recent figures, about six million illegal immigrants have been smuggled by cartel members or came by themselves illegally on their journey into the United States. With the recent expiration of the pandemic-era Title 42, it has emboldened illegal border crossers.
Santa Fe Magistrate Judge Dev Atma Khalsa will resign amid an ethics probe that would have had him forcibly thrown off the bench.
The investigation came after Khalsa was stopped for a DWI in February off of I-25 when he crashed his car.
The arresting officer could smell alcohol on Khalsa’s breath and noticed slurred speech from the disgraced soon-to-be former judge.
Mugshot of Judge Khalsa.
The crash happened on I-25 at the Saint Francis Drive exit in Santa Fe.
According to KOB 4, “If he is convicted, he faces 90 days in jail, a $999 fine, and one year of probation.”
“Officers arrested Khalsa and charged him with reckless driving and driving without a license. After the crash, the state Supreme Court initially suspended him with pay, then without pay last month.” The judge’s license expired two days before the arrest.
Khalsa’s brief stint on the bench, being elected only in November, included a handful of DWI cases, some revolving around revoked licenses.
The Democrat previously won a crowded three-way primary and faced no GOP opponent in the general election.
Once the New Mexico Supreme Court accepts the resignation agreement between the judge and the New Mexico Judicial Standards Commission, then his successor can be appointed to the bench by Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
Couy Griffin, of Tularosa, New Mexico—who achieved national fame for riding his horse, “Red,” across the United States in 2019 to meet with President Trump in Washington, D.C.—was driving past his mother’s home in Tularosa, on Saturday, May 21, when he was pulled over by an Officer Villa and handcuffed, arrested, then booked into Otero County Detention Center.
He was charged with three counts of criminal trespassing and two counts of harassment, according to Griffin.
Griffin was released from the Center on Monday and interviewed by the Piñon Post today, Tuesday, May 23.
“I spent the time in jail praying and fasting. The crazier life gets, the easier it is to let it go,” said Griffin, a former pastor, and a past Otero County Commissioner.
Griffin indicated that the problematic situation leading to Griffin’s arrest on Saturday, May 21st, began on April 13.
It was on April 13 that he picked up a man who was a stranger at the El Paso airport.
“He was a friend of a friend who was homeless in D.C. He needed help. I needed the interior of my mother’s house painted, and so I flew him out here, paid for all his food, and took him to my family’s home for Easter dinner. I let him stay in the house until the painting was finished,” said Griffin.
The location on Dusty Lane is the spot at the end of the driveway where Griffin was filmed being arrested and also the address of the house in which the homeless man and “painter” DeWayne Braithwaite is currently holed up under the protection of the local Sheriff’s office.
Griffin originally purchased the home on Dusty Lane. However, Griffin had quick-deeded his properties to his mother, a magistrate judge, due to his controversial and highly publicized pro-Trump position and threats he says he has received since he met with Trump.
Griffin testified that after Braithwaite’s painting job was completed, and he asked him to leave the home, Braithwaite charged him with “harassment.” Braithwaite included the local authorities in his complaints, calling the Sheriff’s department over seven times complaining about Griffin.
Griffin has recently been informed that Braithwaite is a former felon and had just been removed from his sister’s house in Maryland after a three-year eviction battle.
“All my problems began after that meeting with Trump in 2019. The fierce attacks began after that day,” said Griffin, who spent nine weeks in federal prison on charges related to January 6.
After the meeting with Trump, and related to his attendance at J6, Griffin was arrested by the FBI and placed in solitary confinement for nine days in federal prison—without being charged. He was not allowed to call family or an attorney before or during this initial imprisonment. Eventually, he was accused of the non-violent offense of “trespassing.”
Griffin was removed from his position as a commissioner after District Judge Francis Matthew indicated that because of Griffin’s supposed J6 “insurrectionist” behavior, he had violated Section Three of the Fourth Amendment. Defendants for Griffin stated that the clause was used in the civil war, not since 1860, and primarily to prevent Confederates from running for office.
In another interview, Griffin stated to CAT CHAT Rumble host Mahara Daniel that there were no designated areas near or on the Capital grounds or building that were clearly marked with no admittance or no trespassing signs.
Additionally, the crowds—who were mainly conservatives and/or Trump supporters who were both praying and celebrating but also protesting election results—were welcomed into the Capital, by capital security, according to Griffin.
“It was a trap. We didn’t know it, of course. You don’t let the prey know they are stepping into a trap until it’s too late,” he said, about the January 6th protest, a historical event more often referred to as an act of “insurrection.”
“I feel set up by the system. In this case, I was simply trying to help someone who was destitute, “said Griffin.
The Otero County Sheriff’s Department could not be reached for comment on Tuesday, May 23.
Prominent YouTube influencer and attorney Colion Noir, whose channel is about the Second Amendment, skewered New Mexico Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham after she made uninformed and false comments while recently appearing on MSNBC.
In particular, she called AR-15 rifles “weapons of war,” even though the military doesn’t use them, and falsely claimed the weapons were “automatic,” which they are not.
Noir took down Lujan Grisham in under five minutes in his YouTube segment that is now going viral.
He ripped her to shreds over what the Second Amendment says, her anti-gun legislation proposed, and the failed anti-gun policies already enacted that are not doing much of anything.
While speaking at POLITICO’s energy summit Thursday, Democrat New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham angered eco-leftists over her justification for vetoing electric vehicle tax credits in the omnibus package previously passed during the 2023 Legislative Session.
“These were important but way too small,” Lujan Grisham said of the tax credits. “These benefits were so small, they don’t move the needle. Sometimes when you get something, you don’t get a second bite at it.”
Eco-leftists charged the governor with “blowing smoke” with her “bull***t response.”
However, other comments Lujan Grisham made at the summit have New Mexicans concerned.
The governor told the moderator during the event, “We have free college,” adding, “I’m producing workers in the renewable energy sector.”
She then said, “New Mexico was framed, and in fact, I might…I do disagree with that frame as an energy state and a leader in energy” (emphasis added).
On the contrary, New Mexico was responsible for the largest U.S. oil production growth in 2022 at 50 percent — beating all other states, as we previously reported. Much of the state’s massive $9.4 billion budget derives from the booming oil and gas industry.
A policy and performance analysis for the 2024 fiscal year from the Legislative Finance Committee noted, “Bolstered by high oil- and gas-related revenues, growing incomes, strong consumer spending, and inflation, New Mexico is experiencing record-high revenues across all major revenue streams.”
The free market think tank, the Rio Grande Foundation, asked regarding Lujan Grisham’s comment, “On what planet is New Mexico NOT a… leader in energy?”
New Mexico, which is the second-highest oil-producing state in the country, certainly is an energy state, and any assertion otherwise is a fabrication of the truth.
On Monday, it was revealed that University of New Mexico tight end Jaden Hullaby had passed away at just 21 after previously being declared missing. He started his football career at the University of Texas.
“Hullaby’s family said in a statement on social media on Sunday that they had feared for his safety … after they hadn’t been able to make contact with him since last Thursday. He was last seen on a freeway in Dallas, the family said. In an update on Monday — Hullaby’s brother, Landon, announced the UNM athlete had sadly passed away.” TMZ reported.
Y’all we need prayers our way🙏🏾 I need y'all help this is my nephew. An he has been missing They live in Dallas and Arlington, Texas area. My brother hasn't heard from him since Thursday and the lil brother hasn't heard from him either. An that's where the problem is they always pic.twitter.com/mKHmpOiyG0
“I love you so much and I got you and the family forever I swear get your rest King,” wrote Landon.
UNM wrote, “The Lobo family is saddened to learn of the passing of former RB/TE Jaden Hullaby. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jaden’s family and all who knew him.”
The Lobo family is saddened to learn of the passing of former RB/TE Jaden Hullaby. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jaden’s family and all who knew him. pic.twitter.com/UX9frCAo19
“He was a great person and someone we all enjoyed being around, coaching and spending time with,” said University of Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said. “All of our thoughts are with his family, friends and teammates, and we want to send our deepest condolences to them in such a difficult time.”
“Hullaby was a touted running back prospect in the Longhorns’ 2020 class who switched to linebacker when he got to the Austin campus. He played in just two games in his two seasons for the school … before he transferred to UNM prior to the 2022 season. In his one year with the Lobos, he played tight end, and piled up 44 receiving yards and 59 rushing yards in eight games,” TMZ added.
“The cause of death has yet to be released by authorities. Hullaby was last seen in Dallas on Friday heading westbound on I-30 at 6:23 pm,” according to the Texas Longhorns.
No further details have been immediately made available following Hullaby’s tragic death.
It was revealed that Cowboys for Trump founder and former Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin was arrested by the Otero County Sherriff’s Department last week.
A video shared on TikTok and later on Twitter appears to show Griffin being arrested in Tularosa. It is likely to have come from a disgruntled tenant with whom the former official argued in another video.
Couy Griffin, Founder of Cowboys for Trump being Arrested 3 counts for Trespassing, 3 counts for Harassing a Witness, ME! pic.twitter.com/OEQhK3cwpA
On the tweet, it claims that Griffin is facing “3 counts for Trespassing, 3 counts for Harassing a Witness (sic).”
The person who posted the video, likely named “DeWayne Braithwaite,” claimed in a previous video that Griffin “used food to get forced labor out of me. That is human trafficking through fraud.”
The arrest could possibly stem from Griffin potentially attempting to remove the man from a property Griffin was renting him. Other videos who him attempting to inspect his property which Griffin claims the man is “squatting” in.
@mywildlifesanctuary Couy Griffin paid my airfare, flew me 1900 miles, picked me up at the airport, brought me to this house, and said, "Here's where you're sleeping, and this is where you're working". Now that I've completed the first of 2 paint jobs Griffin now wants out of our Agreement without any compensation to me and is calling me a squatter. #couygriffin#cowboysfortrump#foryou♬ original sound – President D
In a video, the man claims he is being mistreated by Griffin for the Cowboys for Trump founder not making him home-cooked meals every night. To that, Griffin called him a “freeloading loser.” The former official then went on to explain all the food bought for the man.
Braithwaite then claimed, “I am not listening to your dealings no more.” Braithwaite is apparently from La Plata, Maryland, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Other TikTok posts from Braithwaite claim he called police six times previously and they did not act on his claims he was being “human trafficked.”
Griffin then, later in the video, told the man not to “harm my family” and reminded him of Mr. Braithwaite’s 14 years in federal prison.
Griffin is likely being held at the Otero County Detention Center.
The Republican was previously removed from office by a far-left Santa Fe judge due to his involvement in the incursion of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
