Since 2020, New Mexico has had a permanent fund for early childhood education and care. It is called the Early Childhood Education and Care Fund. Started with $300 million, it has already reached $2 billion in two years.
But that was not enough for early childhood "advocates." No. In what will only be the tip of the iceberg for raiding our state's primary permanent fund, Constitutional Amendment 1 passed overwhelmingly to allow the Legislature to raid the state permanent fund for early childhood (voters, what were you thinking?!).
This is in addition to record regular distributions from the permanent fund, and a 450% increase in early childhood spending over the last decade.
Yet, no matter what list you look at, our state comes in last for child welfare. We have been throwing money – over half a billion last year – at early childhood, and our outcomes remain dismal. And until our children succeed, our state will not.
New Mexico slings money around without looking at where it falls. Our most troubled Cabinet department for decades, the Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD), only requested a 20% increase last year, and less than half that which was spent on early childhood. Given the volume of cash flowing through our state, and the documented systemic issues plaguing CYFD, the budget could be doubled, and no one would blink an eye.
One glaring example: children removed from a home in the middle of the night generally sleep on their caseworker's office floor. There is no appropriate, safe overnight facility for children needing emergency placement, even in the largest city in the state. This need has been documented for years.
Yet the governor can easily pledge $10 million for a state-of-the-art abortion clinic in Doña Ana County. Because we've got the money and she's got the votes in the Legislature. You can't make this stuff up.
That caseworker spending the night in her office with a traumatized child? She's grossly underpaid and overworked. I just went to the state personnel office website and perused the job listings for CYFD. Entry level caseworkers, the most numerous openings on the site, and the front-line workers at CYFD, must have a bachelor's degree and two years' experience. Starting pay is $18-$20 an hour.
I then surfed over to UPS', Amazon's, and Target's hiring sites. I found that with no degree or experience, I could start at one of their warehouses in Albuquerque for the same pay.
I'm pretty sure the warehouse is a little stressful this time of year. But you won't have to enter houses not knowing if there will be drugs or weapons inside. You also won't have a caseload far exceeding that which any individual can manage capably. And your work isn't emotionally fraught, placing you in the position of making life-or-death decisions.
Interestingly, part of the plus-up requested by CYFD last year was $250,000 for independent monitoring of the implementation of the settlement of the 2018 Kevin S. case. This lawsuit, settled in 2020, set over 60 different terms for the state to meet at CYFD and the Human Services Department.
The independent monitors just released their first report last month (but after the election). Only nine of the 51 terms were able to be declared fully met.
One of the terms specifically prohibits placing children in offices overnight. It happened 85 times in 2021, according to the monitors' report. Couldn't this requirement inspire a budget request for appropriate facilities? I'm sure it would sail right through.
While I think a terrible mistake has been made with raiding the primary permanent fund when one already exists for early childhood, let's advocate for some sense with the tide of spending.
We could pay our front-line workers competitive wages to attract the best and brightest. We could ensure we have the facilities we need to provide the best environment for our children, creating more jobs with their construction. We could forego endless studies and new layers of administration.
We could, for once, plan before we spend.
Merritt Hamilton Allen is a PR executive and former Navy officer. She appears regularly as a panelist on NM PBS and is a frequent guest on News Radio KKOB. A Republican, she lives amicably with her Democratic husband north of I-40 where they run two head of dog, and two of cat. She can be reached at news.ind.merritt@gmail.com.