ALBUQUERQUE— Steve Pearce, candidate for Governor of New Mexico, participated in the Coalition of Educational Leaders Annual Conference, speaking at Thursday evening's annual awards dinner in Albuquerque. He released this statement following the event:

"Fixing our education system so that our kids have the opportunity to succeed here in New Mexico will be my top priority as Governor," said Pearce. "We are going to direct more resources to the classroom, let our teachers teach, and hold the system accountable to deliver results for our students. I thank the Coalition of Educational Leaders for their work on behalf of New Mexico's students and am looking forward to collaborating with them to improve education across the state."