Pre-pandemic improvement in child well-being a glimpse at what investments can do
Las Cruces Sun-News--Incremental improvements show us both that progress is possible and also that creating the nurturing environments our kids deserve and need to thrive will require bold and sustained actions and investments.
New Senate effort to fund oil and gas well plugging could benefit New Mexico’s bottom line
Carlsbad Current Argus--“Defunct oil and gas producers have littered New Mexico with orphaned wells while taxpayers are forced to foot the bill to clean them up,” he said. “Those critical funds could be spent supporting our children and schools instead of cleaning up the mess oil and gas companies have left behind.”
Policy Brief: Despite Increases, State’s Public Education System Still Underfunded
“Studies show that it costs 40% more to educate a child from a family earning low wages than to educate their more affluent peers. But our highest poverty districts get just 2% to 3% more in funding per student than the average district does.”
New Mexico’s K-12 Schools: Funding the Education System Our Students Deserve
Policy Brief Despite recent increases in K-12 funding and the ruling in the Yazzie/Martinez lawsuit, New Mexico still fails to adequately invest in the kind of educational system our students deserve. This policy brief looks at the state's K-12 funding landscape, educator shortage, the pandemics' impact, and more. (State-level data on student demographics, proficiencies, and graduation rates)
NM Voices for Children Thanks Senator Bennet for Introducing Bills to Reform the Antiquated Oil and Gas Leasing System
"Defunct oil and gas producers have littered New Mexico with orphaned wells while taxpayers are forced to foot the bill to clean them up. Those critical funds could be spent supporting our children and schools instead of cleaning up the mess oil and gas companies have left behind."
Kids Count: New Mexico improves to 49th in child wellbeing
Associated Press--“It’s encouraging to see that child wellbeing in New Mexico was improving before the pandemic hit,” said James Jimenez, executive director for New Mexico Voices for Children, which partners with the foundation. He’s cautiously optimistic that state policies “helped offset some of the health and financial problems caused by the pandemic.”