Op-Ed
By: Rep. Jim Townsend (R-Artesia)

When is a Four-day school week appropriate? The answer is simple. When it meets the educational needs of the students, when it is supported by parents and educators and the community! Why does it have to be so difficult, especially when it works?

I have said on the House Floor that New Mexico has a hard time dealing with prosperity. When we have an industry providing over 100,000 great jobs, creating billions of dollars of revenue, what does the Legislature do? It attacks, taxes, regulates and imposes anti-industry legislation, hardly beneficial to families and certainly detrimental to New Mexico.

In the Education World, we try the same silliness.

In many areas of New Mexico, we have communities supporting the 4-day school week. Many of them are Blue Ribbon Schools and Schools of Excellence, the best of the best. These are schools where graduation rates, student achievement, attendance and overall excellent student's performances are met and documented. Schools and achievements like this should be replicated and should not be abolished! Why in the world would the Governor and her PED Secretary advocate for such? Shouldn't they be advocating for such remarkable achievements throughout the state, not trying to drag super achievers to a policy and regimen that doesn't work and isn't accepted by the community and staff?

In some of these rural areas, where transportation costs must be recognized as a significant cost to families, families overwhelmingly support the 4-day school week because it enhances their lives while educating their children.

It is beneficial to teachers as well, enhancing their time with their loved ones while allowing them to teach students who want to be there and are excelling in the process. There is nothing more gratifying than being a member of a winning team.

Students in many areas spend a long time on school buses, reportedly in some instances over 1 ½ hours long one way, three hours per day. Being able to reduce the school system's transportation costs and a student three hours of riding/day, 15 hours per week or 60 hours per month seems wise and prudent, but in New Mexico, where we say we strive for excellence and it is being achieved, we seem to want to change that for a solution that will cause a problem. It seems to be the New Mexico way in education. Every new State Public Education Secretary, I think we are on our 5th of the current administration, tries to change things up, even when a process works, we can't stand leaving well enough alone. It appears to be too much to ask that children are being educated, parents are happy and the local communities are supportive.

Maybe the problem isn't at the local level, maybe the problem is in Santa Fe! BINGO

I am a strong proponent of educating children and funding them appropriately. I believe we should drive control to the local level and with demonstrated achievements. I believe in allowing school systems to meet the needs of their community and families while meeting the educational needs of the child.

That is why I will continue to advocate for communities/school systems to adjust as they see necessary and to educate their children. Local School Boards should not be ridiculed or admonished for standing for their children and their parents.

The proper course of action is to allow 4-day school weeks to continue where children are being educated and certainly when they are recognized as schools with exemplary performance.

Isn't that the goal, to educate the child? Even in Santa Fe where politics often trumps common sense, it should be.