Egolf pushes for higher teacher raises
New Mexico Speaker of the House Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe, wants a 10% raise for teachers in the coming legislative session. He also plans to push for changes to the state's funding formula for schools. Currently, districts that receive federal "Impact Aid" have much of it deducted from their state funding, a practice Egolf wants changed. According to the Legislative Finance Committee, a 10% raise would cost approximately $147 million a year. In contrast, Gov. Michelle Lujan's proposed budget calls for teachers to receive a 4% raise; the LFC suggested 3% with larger increases for bilingual and special education teachers. Egolf proposed the larger raise during a speech before the Economic Forum of Albuquerque. State Sen. John Arthur Smith, D-Deming and LFC chair, says no one has discussed a 10% increase with him. "That's a huge amount—whether it's in teachers or anything else," Smith told The Albuquerque Journal. "I guess hope springs eternal."
NM Congressmen push anti-war measures
Yesterday, US Sen. Tom Udall, D-NM, and a member the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, appeared on CNN Newsroom to speak against escalation with Iran. Udall authored the the bipartisan Prevention of Unconstitutional War with Iran Act, first introduced in 2018 and then again in 2019, which would prohibit the US from spending funds that could lead to war with Iran without Congressional approval. "We should be trying to de-escalate in any way we can, de-escalate this situation on both sides. And I don't believe that it's in the interest of the United States or anybody in the region to be moving forward with a war," Udall said. On Tuesday, Udall and bill co-sponsor Rand Paul, R-KY, sent a letter to other senators requesting support. Meanwhile, US Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-NM, introduced on Tuesday a war powers resolution that would force a debate and vote in Congress to prevent further escalation with Iran. "Everything President Trump and Secretary Pompeo have done in the Middle East has made Iran's repressive government stronger and America less safe," Heinrich said in a statement. Yesterday, President Trump said Iran "appears to be standing down" but said new sanctions would be imposed.
ACLU sues APS for human rights violation
ACLU New Mexico filed suit yesterday against Albuquerque Public Schools and former Cibola High School teacher Mary Jane Eastin alleging violations of the New Mexico Human Rights Act. The suit alleges Eastin discriminated against Native American student McKenzie Johnson by calling her a "bloody Indian" in front of an entire class on Halloween of 2018, and created a hostile environment. The incident occurred during Eastin's AP English class in which the teacher played a game with students, rewarding correct answers with marshmallows and giving dog food to students who provided incorrect answers.
The complaint also contends that APS failed to train teachers on racism and student safety. "Students cannot possibly be expected to thrive if they have to fear being called racist and derogatory names by the very people who are entrusted with their learning and safety," Preston Sanchez, Indigenous justice attorney at the ACLU of New Mexico, said in a statement on the suit. "That's why it's imperative that we hold schools accountable when they fail to prevent or adequately address incidents of racism and harassment."
Police accountability suit continues
SFR's lawsuit against the City of Santa Fe will continue, following a ruling yesterday in the First Judicial District Court. SFR is challenging the city's longstanding policy to withhold disciplinary information about employees—particularly Santa Fe police officers. SFR sued the city and SFPD's records custodian Greg Gurule in March 2019 after Gurule denied SFR's requests for records relating to potential disciplinary actions against officers. While Judge Bryan Beidscheid denied the city's request to dismiss the suit, he has not set a second hearing. With interpretation of the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) at stake, and a long history of police secrecy with which to grapple, Beidscheid asked lawyers from both sides to propose a "mechanism" by which he could decide the case.
Opposition to LANL at Midtown campus
Residents last night voiced opposition to the Santa Fe City Council regarding a proposal from Los Alamos National Laboratory for a presence on Midtown campus. The details of that proposal—along with proposals from other various entities—have yet to be released. Nonetheless, a dozen residents spoke out against it, and the council discussed the campus in a closed-door session. SFR's Leah Cantor attended the first meeting of the year and has the details of the various issues raised, as well as upcoming public meetings.
City provides new online service
This week, the City of Santa Fe launched an online self-service portal where residents can apply for Short Term Rental (STR) applications. After setting up an account, property owners or property managers can fill out new STR applications, upload documents and receive invoices. In a statement, the city says it plans to expand the portal's functionality this year to include applications for permitting and business licensing.
Catch Here, Now and Always now
The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture's permanent exhibition Here, Now and Always will not be viewable for 18 months starting on Jan. 26, when it will close for renovation and redesign ($TNM). Museum of New Mexico Foundation President and CEO Jamie Clements estimates the total cost for the renovation is $4.6 million, coming from a variety of sources. A press release on the renovation says after two decades—the exhibition launched in 1997—there is "a critical need to conserve objects on long-term display; opportunities to update humanities scholarship and conform to current museum standards for enhanced visitor experiences; and ever-growing public interest in the history and contemporary culture of Native peoples of the Southwest."
The rainbow connection
It will be mostly sunny today with a high near 42, and west wind 5 to 15 mph. Tonight: Still looking at a 20% chance of snow after 11 pm. Friday has a 30% chance of snow showers but also will, apparently, be partly sunny. And you know what that means, my friends: Rainbows. It means rainbows.
Thanks for reading! The Word learned about natural wines from Zibby Wilder's column this week, and looks forward to her senses of smell and taste returning so she can have some.
