Education

The quality of our future will be determined by the quality of our education of our children. If we do not educate our children, we have no future.

I do not have the experience to be personally knowledgeable about the problems of our educational system. As your legislator, I will listen to teachers and seek advice from organizations like Transform Education NM

A fundamental problem is that many teachers do not feel supported by the educational system. Teacher turnover is tragically high. One administrator said that a new teacher teaching for a year was counted as a success. Teaching curriculum is overly-scripted making bonding with the student difficult. One size does not fit all, and teachers are constrained from tailoring instruction to the student.

We must value teachers, both financially and by John Greensupporting their professional development. We must invest in the Native American schools to bring them up to par with the rest of the state.

Post High School

I support eliminating tuition at public colleges and trade/vocational schools. Cost should not be a barrier to higher education. Publicly funded primary and secondary schooling has existed in this country since the mid-1800s; it was a radical idea at the time.

Universal high school education set the country up for industrial success. Numerous studies show that education contributes greatly to a country's economic success.

Education is Fundamental to Development and Growth

College tuition has been raised to the point it’s beyond the means of average people. Gone are the days where a parent can take a second job to pay their children’s college tuition. Upon graduating many are saddled with so much debt that buying a house is impossible. The country has a shortage of much needed doctors and nurses. Eliminating the cost barriers would encourage more people to become doctors.

Similarly, trade/vocational schools should be tuition-free for the same reasons.

Private schools should remain so and manage their business affairs without government interference. Taxpayers should fund only public schools.