Education Reforms Blocked at Every Turn

Mary Helen Garcia

In New Mexico unions bosses have made sure that first and foremost, education works for the benefit of the adults working in the system. And the entrenched educational power center’s influence in Santa Fe is alive and well.

No other group is working harder or more successfully to thwart desperately needed reforms that will benefit New Mexico children, than those using legislature leadership to fight education reforms.

The well documented efforts of Michael Sanchez and other Senate Democrats to sandbag the nomination of Hanna Skandera is one example. And what fellow Democrats in the leadership positions in the House of Representatives did to longtime professional educator Rep. Mary Helen Garcia’s is another. Yesterday Garcia's efforts to bring a bill to the floor that would end the long discredited practice of social promotion were strangled by would be speaker Ken Martinez and current speaker Ben Lujan.

Ken Martinez

There are few elected officials in our state that understand education more than Rep. Garcia. Garcia has been championing the idea of putting a permanent stop to the mindless practice of passing students that cannot read at grade level for several years. Apparently her great crime within the Democratic Party was advocating a common sense policy both before, and after newly elected Governor Susana Martinez agreed with the idea.
There is something quite insidious going on in the leadership of the Democratic Party in New Mexico in 2012. Michael Sanchez, Ben Lujan, Ken Martinez and some of most their loyal lieutenants like Sheryl William Stapleton will lay waste to the efforts of any sincere reformers if they think Governor Martinez merely agrees with the change in policy.

It is time for New Mexico try something new. Reformers like Mary Helen Garcia will thrive under new leadership and the state will too. Ken Martinez, Michael Sanchez, and Sheryl William Stapleton need to find something new to do.

Education Reforms Blocked at Every Turn