Two things about New Mexico’s scandal over the state allegedly falsifying applications for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program stand out to Samuel Chu. The first is documentation of the scandal in federal court, which in May included three top state Human Services Department officials refusing to answer a total of nearly 100 questions from lawyers.
It’s a debate that’s rattled Colorado, New Jersey and Washington. Now it’s Albuquerque’s turn. Supporters of a proposal called the “Healthy Workforce Ordinance” say they hope this fall to make Albuquerque the first city in the state to require that employers offer paid sick leave to their workers.
In a surprise move, the Santa Fe Board of Education voted Saturday to hire a former district administrator and state education secretary to serve as an interim leader until a permanent replacement is found for outgoing Superintendent Joel Boyd.
At our recent Kids Count Conference, I asked the room of nearly 400 attendees to raise their hands if they had ever spent money on activities such as music lessons, team sports, preschool or a tutor for a child or grandchild. Then I asked if any of them would characterize that spending as “throwing money at the problem.”
New Mexico ranks among the worst in the nation for child well-being, according to the most recent KIDS COUNT Data Book report. The report, released a week ago, shows that New Mexico retained its position at 49th out of 50 states for overall child well-being, rose to 44th in health well-being, fell to 50th in education, and remained the same at 49th for child poverty.
When it comes to education, New Mexico ranks dead last. That’s according to a newly released national Kids Count survey, which looks at a range of indicators for child well-being — including education, health and poverty — in every state in the union. The Land of Enchantment didn’t fare much better in overall child well-being, either; New Mexico came in second to last.
San Juan County nonprofit organizations are seeing increased demands for services for children and families at the same time that they're facing cuts in funding due to the depressed regional economy. More families impacted by layoffs in the oil, gas and coal industries need services, while financial support for the nonprofits that fund those services is declining. More families impacted by layoffs in the oil, gas and coal industries need services, while financial support for the nonprofits that fund those services is declining. And this comes as a new report ranks New Mexico 49th in the nation for the overall well-being of children.
It’s not so much spin as it is desperation. And it’s understandable, as New Mexicans become tired and desensitized to the same old barrage of lists that rank the state at or near the bottom in this category or that. Who are the stakeholders?
Things aren’t getting better for kids in New Mexico. That is the depressing but unmistakable conclusion from the release this week of the 2016 KIDS COUNT Data Book, an annual report on child well-being produced by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. For the third year in a row, New Mexico placed 49th, leading only Mississippi in the overall ranking.
SANTA FE, N.M. -- New Mexico retains its dismal ranking of 49th out of 50 states for children's well-being, according to the 2016 Kids Count Data Book. It's the third year in a row that New Mexico has come in next-to-last on the basis of 16 indicators -- covering economic well-being, education, health, family and community.