Albuquerque Public Schools
Another Legislative Session is Underway
In her weekly message, Superintendent Blakey discusses the district’s priorities for the 30-day legislative session.
I had the honor of being at the Roundhouse on Tuesday as Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham delivered her final State of the State address and outlined her priorities for this year’s 30-day legislative session. She covered a lot of ground in her hour-long speech, including the prospect of a statewide cellphone ban for public school students in New Mexico aimed at improving academic outcomes and student happiness.
As state lawmakers debate the pros and cons of such a ban, along with other issues, including measures to increase the state’s healthcare workforce, it’s worth noting that the incredible revenue growth New Mexico has seen in recent years is slowing. That will likely translate into smaller annual raises come July. At the moment, the Governor’s Office and the Legislative Finance Committee are proposing 1% raises for state workers and public school employees.
We’ve joined with school districts across the state in asking lawmakers for funding to help us offset the premiums our employees pay for health insurance, something they did for other state employees last year. We outlined that request and several others during a Legislative Open House in early December. Here’s a rundown of our other legislative priorities.
Elementary schools: We’re asking for continued investment in the Transformational Opportunity Pilot Schools and funding to implement promising practices like Genius Hour at more schools. I love Genius Hour because it increases student engagement and creativity. We’re also seeking funding for high-quality out-of-school and summer programs. And we’re requesting legislative support to expand pre-K and other early childhood readiness initiatives, programs that we feel are vital to setting our kids up for long-term success.
Middle schools: We’re seeking targeted legislative funding to strengthen our middle school redesign through the Next Education Workforce Model, an initiative focused on creating a student-centered learning environment where teachers collaborate more and students are grouped by individual interests. Specifically, we’re asking for funding for expanded professional development, recruitment incentives, and aligned math initiatives that support teachers and improve student proficiency. We’re also requesting funding for high-dosage tutoring and other promising practices that accelerate individualized, evidence-based learning, ensuring that all students receive the support they need to thrive in math and other subjects.
High school: We’re requesting funding for our Academies of Albuquerque high school redesign initiative. We want to expand career-connected learning through internships, apprenticeships and industry-recognized credential pathways. We’re also committed to strengthening social-emotional learning, wraparound services and family engagement through investments in counseling, social work, nursing and cross-agency partnerships, and appreciate ongoing legislative investments in this area.
We’re also asking for funding to:
- Expand and strengthen our bilingual, multicultural and Indigenous language programs, including targeted investments in teacher pipelines, inclusive practices training and professional development that equips educators to effectively support English Learners.
- Strengthen the recruitment, development and retention of high-quality educators and staff through continued investment in clinical residency models, stipends for teacher candidates, support staff for English Learners and expanded incentives such as competitive salaries and differential pay for hard-to-staff roles.
- Expand promising practices, including Transformational Coaches, Teaching and Learning Coaches, Community School Coordinators and Student Success System Resource Teachers, to ensure educators are supported, instructional quality is elevated, and student outcomes are improved across APS.
- Enhance student and staff safety through expanded social-emotional learning supports, increased access to critical wraparound services, including counseling, social work, and nursing, and continued investment in safety-related infrastructure improvements.
The investments we’re asking for aim to improve outcomes for all our students. State lawmakers and the governor have stepped up for us in the past, and their support has helped us make real gains in reading and math and provide more opportunities for our students. I’m grateful for the hard work they each put in and hope they give serious consideration to our current legislative requests.
That’s it for now. Have a great weekend and stay warm!