School Funding Crisis Looms, PED, Governor & House GOP Ignore Problem
By: NM State Senator Mimi Stewart (D-17-Bernalillo)

Our K-12 public school classrooms are facing yet another steep funding crisis that will hit schools hard later this year, when their share of a $110 million annual cut statewide takes effect. Neither Governor Susana Martinez, nor her state Public Education Department chief, Hanna Skandera, seem to be aware of it. Larger class sizes, fewer teachers, fewer counselors, and reduced classes in Phys Ed, music, dance and art can be expected, if the experience of other states is any guide.

The huge shortfall and its consequences were foreseeable, and also easily preventable, earlier this year during the 2016 legislative session. But the majority Republican members of the state House of Representatives, backed by the Governor, refused to even consider a fix for our schools' fresh money problem. Now, students will feel the consequences. Frankly, we should all be outraged.

To understand the issue, we must go back to 2003, when the legislature first decided to amend the state constitution to put in place a higher annual distribution of funds to all public schools from our state's Land Grant Permanent Fund.

Under the 2003 plan, an increase to 5.8% of the annual proceeds of the Fund would go to pay for classroom needs and to recruit and retain high -