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)
Fact Sheet The national 2021 National KIDS COUNT Data Book uses the most recent data available for its 16 indicators of child well-being. Since this year's report is based mostly on data from 2019, some limited pandemic-era data have been added, including some dsiaggregated by race and ethnicity. (State-level data on six pandemic-related indicators)
Fact Sheet The American Rescue Plan Act will help New Mexico in a number of ways - income supports, housing and food assistance for families, and education and health care assistance for the state, cities, counties, and Tribes. This fact sheet looks specifically at how children of color - who have been disproportionately harmed by the pandemic - will be helped. (State-level estimates, some by race and ethnicity, on how many people will be impacted)
Report New Mexico's childhood food insecurity rate has long been at or near the highest in the nation. The pandemic and resulting recession only made it worse. This report looks at why food insecurity is such a problem in New Mexico, how it impacts children and families, and what the state can do about it. (State- and county-level data on food and economic insecurity)
Report Immigrants strengthen our communities in many ways - from boosting the economy and the labor force to paying millions in state and local taxes. Still, immigrants are not treated with the equity they deserve. The COVID-19 pandemic has made that more clear than ever. This report looks at the ways in which immigrants contribute, how they were excluded from federal pandemic relief, and what can be done to create a more inclusive state. (State-level data on population demographics and economic and tax contributions)
Fact Sheet Court fines and fees for juveniles are harmful to youth and their families, racially discriminatory, and costly to administer. They can quickly amount to hundreds of dollars, resulting in a significant financial burden for New Mexico families, taking from them some of the very resources they need to invest in their children’s future and purchase food, education, housing, and health insurance.
Fact Sheet Profit-minded corporations will happily accept tax breaks, but tax rates aren't a big factor when they consider locating in a new state. Most of what they do consider - a well-educated and skilled workforce, modern infrastructure, good schools, etc., - are the very amenities states support with the very tax revenue that corporations try not to pay. This fact sheet makes the argument for increasing the taxes out-of-state corporations pay on the profits earned here. (State-level data on decline of corporate income tax revenue as a share of all income tax revenue)
Report Child well-being in New Mexico was improving. But then the COVID-19 pandemic and recession struck. This annual report provides data on numerous child well-being indicators housed under four domains (economic security, education, health, and family and security). While we don't know the full extent of the harm COVID-19 has caused our kids, some pandemic-specific data from the fall of 2020 are included. (Data on the state, county, tribal area, and school district levels on child well-being)
Fact Sheet Smoking kills more people than alcohol, AIDS, car crashes, illegal drugs, murders, and suicides combined. One evidence-based way to help youth and those earning low incomes to stop or reduce smoking is to increase tobacco taxes. It also raises some of the funding needed to cover the public health care costs. (State-level data on smoking, death rates, etc.)
Policy Brief Before COVID-19 hit, New Mexico was moving steadily forward on a path to more broadly shared prosperity. But our over-reliance on revenue from oil and gas extraction put a dent in our economy even before the pandemic and resulting recession. Legislators must enact policies that stabilize our revenue streams while improving racial equity via our tax code. Their best options for doing so are listed in this policy brief.