Santa Fe, NM — The Republican members of the Legislative Education Study Committee (LESC) had asked the committee to consider key educational reforms during this interim:
Expand funded educational choice and opt-in to federal school choice tax credits
Enact a statewide classroom cell-phone ban during instructional time
Protect the learning environment by authorizing the removal of disruptive students
Align student learning objectives with industry-recognized workplace credentials
Only the last item—better aligning Career & Technical Education with industry standards—was adopted by the committee as a major focus on its interim workplan.
"From the schoolhouse to the Roundhouse, New Mexico parents are demanding greater results," said Senator Craig Brandt, a former school board member, "These families deserve to be able to use their tax dollars to select the best schools for their kids, and schools deserve to be able to remove distractions and put the focus back on producing strong learning outcomes."
For example, more than half of states have already enacted laws banning student cell-phone use during the instructional day, a move supported by parents and teachers alike. New Mexico took the first step in 2025 by requiring each district to determine its own cell-phone policy, but enacting a statewide ban would allow all students to better concentrate on their education. "We continue to fail our students when state lawmakers decline to consider fully implementing proven and commonsense policies that are in the best interest of our children such as cell phone bans during educational hours," said Senator Crystal Brantley, an advisory member of LESC.
"When we started deteriorating parental involvement from their students' education, our state began down a dangerous path of worsening outcomes. Having been raised and educated in New Mexico, it saddens me that our schools aren't producing the results they used to," said Senator Candy Spence Ezzell, who also proudly serves as a member of the Senate Education Committee. "It's time we restored the original purpose… graduating students who can contribute to their communities and to our economy."
The LESC's interim work plan was adopted at the committee's meeting on April 30, 2026, though Senate Republicans will continue to push for key reform proposals to be added to the plan or discussed at upcoming interim meetings.
