Los Alamos High School student liaisons to the LAPS Board of Education on the floor of the House of Representaives Feb. 18, hosted by Rep. Christine Chandler of Los Alamos, center. Students include seniors Sonyia Williams and Priscilla Marquez and Juniors Justin Pena, Ogden Berry, Zoe Butler and Ethan Rushton. Photo by Kurt SteinhausLos Alamos Public Schools Superintendent Kurt Steinhaus has been closely monitoring the New Mexico Legislature this session. He recently updated the School Board on the current state of education bills.
“This is the most complicated session I’ve been involved in,” Steinhaus said. “It’s very challenging.”
Steinhaus is among those who seek to make sure education has the top priority during this session. One of the top priorities of the LAPS School Board is making LAPS salaries competitive. A proposal of increases of 6 percent for teachers, 7 percent for principals and 5 percent for other staff is currently under consideration, Steinhaus said.
“The way it looks now, we could be short 6.5 percent of the funds to meet the pay minimums in this bill alone,” Steinhaus worried.
The Legislature continues to argue over House and Senate versions of a huge education bill. A bill that would appropriate $452 million in new public school funding in the coming fiscal year for at-risk students, was unanimously advanced to the full House Saturday. The bill is a response to District Judge Sarah Singleton’s final decree Feb. 14, in a case in which a group of plaintiffs argued New Mexico is failing to provide an adequate education for these students, Steinhaus explained.
Another School Board priority is funding to implement school safety plans across New Mexico.
“Legislation is moving ahead to fund this priority,” Steinhaus said. “However, because Los Alamos is a low-risk area, and the risk level determines funding, we may not receive as much as other districts.”
Another priority, improving student and staff well-being, is being addressed in upcoming bills, Steinhaus said.
“Currently, there is money for a social worker in each school in the bill,” Steinhaus said. “We want that changed to “mental health professional” to provide more flexibility.”
A bill addressing teacher evaluations proposes lowering the impact of student test scores from 50 percent to 15 percent of the score, Steinhaus said.
In other good news for teachers, House Bill HB227, which states that a teacher’s use of up to 10 days of sick leave and personal leave days shall not have an impact on the teachers’ evaluation was signed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham earlier this month. Dist. 43 Rep. Christine Chandler who represents Los Alamos was a co-sponsor of the bill.
Chandler is optimistic about the education bills still in the pipeline.
“New Mexico students deserve the opportunity, support, and tools to learn and be successful in our schools,” Chandler said. “Over the past few years, New Mexico has seen damaging budget deficits that have put schools in a difficult position to provide the best education possible. This year, we have a historic opportunity to create an education system that builds off the strengths of all of our children. We must continue to invest in our public schools, early childhood education, and extracurricular programs to ensure student success and to provide our educators with the resources they need to support our students.”
