OP/ED

Op-Ed: Smaller Class Sizes Can Lift Students And The Teaching Profession

by

By MANDI TORREZ
2020 New Mexico Teacher of the Year

Every day more than 37,000 New Mexico elementary students, enough to fill the Pit twice over, experience negative effects of large class sizes such as a lack of engagement, increased behavior issues, and lower achievement.

In the 2022-2023 school year, 27% of elementary classrooms exceeded limits and average targets set in current state law. At Think New Mexico, a think tank serving New Mexicans, we examined the class sizes of every elementary school in the state using data reported to the Public Education Department. The story we uncovered Read More

Op-Ed: Regarding New Mexico Public Education Department’s Proposed Amendments To 6.10.5 NMAC

by

By VALERIE FOX
Los Alamos

I am a parent of an elementary-age student. I am objecting to the proposed amendments to 6.10.5 NMAC. As I understand it, our district is opposed to it as well. Our students, teachers and school board members are already reeling from a swath of changes last year that included extended calendars and have made no difference in testing in the state of New Mexico. In fact, there has been a decline in math test scores and barely any movement in reading. Math proficiency scores in this state dropped to 24% and we are last in the nation in education.

Our PED needs to be honest with citizens Read More

Op-Ed: On Anniversary Of P-22’s Death, Let Us Recommit To Saving Mountain Lions Across The United States

by

By R. Brent Lyles,
Sharon Negri and Julie Marshall

Sunday marks the first anniversary of the death of P-22, a most beloved mountain lion who lived among Angelenos in Griffith Park for more than a decade.

P-22 lived life large as a celebrity bachelor feline, although he probably didn’t care much about Hollywood glamour. He was photographically captured by National Geographic amid the starry night’s Hollywood sign.

This was a lion who brought stalwart wildlife biologists to tears when they talked about his life and legacy: The legend of P-22 continues to grow, and his spirit lives on in a documentary, Read More

Op/Ed: Dangers Of Credit Card Competition Act

by

By GORDON MONOGHAN 
President and Chief Beer Guide
ABQ Beer Tours

New Mexico’s tourism economy brings millions of dollars—and thousands of people—to our state each year. But a bill before the U.S. Senate could jeopardize that.

At first glance, the Credit Card Competition Act is an arcane bill that deals with interchange fees and payment networks, but it will actually have a huge impact on our state—and small businesses like mine.

In tinkering with the credit-card payment processing system, the CCCA will do away with credit-card rewards programs, including points programs—an important part Read More

Op-Ed: Why New Mexico Students Need More Time In School  

by

By SECRETARY ARSENIO ROMERO
New Mexico Public Education Department

There is a lot I’ve been seeing in the news lately about a new rule that is being proposed by the New Mexico Public Education Department that would establish the standard minimum school year is 180 days for all schools. I want to be clear about something, this is an update of an existing rule that established the 180-day minimum standard for schools with 5 days per week calendars in 2011-2012.

This rule was not strictly enforced in recent years due to the pandemic, so some schools have dropped their instructional days below 180. In Read More

Our Town At A Crossroads: The Critical Role Of The New County Manager

by

By ALLAN SAENZ
Owner
Los Alamos Network (LAnet) and SALA Event Center
18 Year Resident

Dear County Councilors of Los Alamos,

I am writing to you today not just as a longtime resident and local business owner in Los Alamos but as a member of a community standing at the crossroads of change and potential.

Our town, known for its rich history and vibrant community, is on the brink of a transformational period, and the decision to appoint a new county manager is pivotal in steering the direction of this change.

Los Alamos is evolving, and with this comes the pressing need to adapt. Our town’s fabric is changing, Read More

Op-Ed: What Will Make A Great County Manager Choice?

by

By KEVIN HOLSAPPLE
Los Alamos

I hear that selection committees are working and that there is an applicant forum this week, so it seems like a good time for the community to reflect on the question of what the person who will become the new County Manager next spring needs to be like for the future we want to see for our community.

What am I hoping for in the choice of the next Los Alamos County Manager? Yes, I want a competent day-to-day administrator with a track record of success and a strong understanding of local government, public budgeting, finance, and the needs of their community. But I want and

Read More

Op-Ed: Climate Change … A Different Perspective 

by

By RICK NEBEL
Los Alamos

On Oct. 31, 2021, the PBS weekend news ran a story on climate change from Portland, Maine. The story was about the increasing water levels in the Gulf of Maine which are now occasionally covering historic piers in Portland. The cause of this phenomenon is believed to be increasing temperatures in the Gulf of Maine due to climate change. The irony of this is that in the past 30 years the lobster population in the Gulf of Maine has quadrupled, also a result of the increasing water temperatures. In short, Portland lobstermen are directly benefiting from climate change. That was Read More

Op-Ed: EPLUS Benefits New Mexico And Our Wildlife

by

By LESLI ALLISON
CEO, Western Landowners Alliance
Santa Fe

The New Mexico Wildlife Federation and Backcountry Hunters and Anglers are leading a campaign to eliminate the state’s Elk Private Land Use System (EPLUS). They are doing this in the hopes of boosting by a tiny percentage the number of bull elk licenses available in the public draw. It’s not about hunting for meat. It’s about hunting for horns.

Here is why this is a bad idea for wildlife and for New Mexico:

  1. Private lands provide 50 percent of the wildlife habitat in the state, often at significant personal cost to landowners. Hunters consistently
Read More

Pearce: Celebrating School Attendance Awareness Month

by

By KELLY PEARCE 
Teach Plus

When Michael was in my media literacy class, he was quick to contribute his perspectives to our discussions, lended a hand when his peers had glitchy computers, and always had a joke at the ready. 

But Michael wasn’t in school as often as I would have liked. He was absent an average of twice a week. Sometimes he would be gone days at a time. 

I often told him that he was my 7th-grade teaching assistant, and I needed him there for our class to function at its best. He did not like to talk about his mounting absences and correspondence home to share how much I enjoyed having him in class Read More