Martinez begins by asserting that back in 2003, the Richardson/Denish Administration raided the Permanent Fund and abolished the state school board. While the Richardson/Denish administration certainly tapped into the Permanent Fund to increase education spending it would probably be argued by the Lt. Governor that what was done does not constitute a “raid.”
Martinez says under Richardson/Denish education spending has gone up by over 40% and today, 40% of New Mexico students do not graduate from high school. These facts do not seem to be in dispute. The state has ramped up spending on education and the dropout rate is still woefully high.
Martinez says she will stop simply throwing more and more money at the problem. She says we have a broken school system that is failing too many children – and she will start reforming it. Martinez thinks part of the problem lies in schools accepting mediocrity in New Mexico. She also believes schools are being bullied by special-interest groups into shying away from real changes. Martinez says she is willing to take on the establishment and fight for a system that puts children learning first, before anything else. We would agree with this assessment and suggest stripping away all state related regulations on public schools and putting the decision-making power on every issue in the hands of on site managers. Micro-managing from Santa Fe is bad policy pure and simple.
Topping the Martinez list are the ideas of empowering parents, raising academic standards, increasing school choice, and rewarding our best teachers with higher pay. She says New Mexico must ensure education tax dollars make it into the classroom and do not get swallowed up by a massive education bureaucracy. All of these ideas have a chance to change behaviors because they modify incentives. If implemented each idea has the potential to improve education.
As governor Martinez says she will confront truancy. “I will work to make sure New Mexico’s kids go to class. Success in life starts by simply showing up.”
Martinez concludes with, “The measure of our success will be when New Mexico children have an opportunity to receive a quality education that allows them to chase their dreams.”
We still believe that despite the gross mismanagement of resources above the classroom level, we have structural problems with bad parents in society. Good parenting skills tend to lead to students interested in learning. There are thousands of examples of students passing through the public schools that are well-educated. Unfortunately the system spends far too much time and money on neglected children instead of children interested in learning.
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