Commentary: Santa Fe – American Federation of Teachers New Mexico President, Stephanie Ly, released the following statement regarding House passage of a budget (House Bill 2):
“It is no secret New Mexico is in an unprecedented budgetary crisis, and no part of State government has been held harmless during throughout the several rounds of deepening cuts. Public education funding in New Mexico has been hit particularly hard – from early education through higher education – with roughly $125 million dollars in lost funding since the New Mexico Legislature passed the budget for the 2017 fiscal year.
“House Bill 2, as it is drafted, adds $25 million in funding towards New Mexico’s educational funding for public schools, and while this amount does not remedy the recent cuts, members of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee rightly worked to close at least a small gap in funding, prioritizing our public schools and educational institutions. Additionally, members of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee worked to minimize cuts to higher education funding as well as funding for early educational programs.
“New Mexicans must continue to demand that Governor Martinez recognize the very real and long-term harm she is inflicting on our State through her inflexibility towards raising new revenue and closing existing tax loopholes. We call on Governor Martinez to act in a responsible manner and pledge to sign House Bill 2 and support its associated revenue bills so our schools and educational institutions can move forward and begin budgetary plans for the new school year.”