The state's education system is unconstitutional and has violated the civil rights of students who are most "at-risk" of failing out of schools, including low-income, English language learners and Native American students.
That's the ruling of state District Judge Sarah Singleton, handed down last Friday from her retirement as a pro tem. Insiders say it's a monumental decision that will transform New Mexico's education system, and the state only has until next April to come up with an overarching plan.
This will include school financing and management reforms that grant higher sums to struggling schools, as well as a new school and teacher accountability system. The court will oversee the reforms, regardless of whether the state—under current Gov. Susana Martinez or, far less likely, the new incoming governor—files an appeal.
The ruling says that 71.6 percent of New Mexico's students come from low-income families, and Santa Fe Public Schools Superintendent Veronica Garcia says the district's rate is about the same at 70 percent. Although Singleton's timeline holds a tight deadline, Garcia sees the reforms taking much longer to implement.
"We all have to come and roll up our sleeves and do what's right by our kids and creating a comprehensive plan that will be phased in over several years," Garcia says. "The system couldn't stand making all the needed improvements in one year; it wouldn't be practical."
One big way Garcia, who was called as a witness for the plaintiff at trial, sees the decision having an impact on Santa Fe is teacher salaries. The district lost out on $1 million from the state last fiscal year because it incorrectly reported the education levels of some teachers, The Santa Fe New Mexican reported. It took away funds for hiring staff to fill vacancies.
This year's operating budget included some pay raises for teachers and ancillary staff like counselors and nurses, after the state's budget included some money for it. But Garcia says low pay is a longstanding problem that has hurt the district in the long run.
"As I understand it, our teachers had not had a raise for over five years when we gave them raise last year," Garcia tells SFR, adding that a punitive teacher evaluation system also drove people away.
The court agreed with plaintiffs that the state needed to maintain a culturally relevant curricula for Native American students, as well as English language learners. Of about 13,400 total students in Santa Fe public schools, about 300 are Native American and 3,000 are English language learners.
"Our kids who participate in Indian education programming will see a boost; our ELL children, children who receive special education, will all see a boost," Garcia tells SFR, "and our children in poverty, in particular the Southside, will likely see this equitable boost that the court, I think rightly, felt [was] required to meet our constitutional obligation."
The boost to Santa Fe Public Schools will come as the district considers solutions for forecasted demographic changes that are already leading to overcrowded classes on the Southside and far emptier buildings in other, wealthier neighborhoods.
Enrollment for Southside schools like Amy Biehl, Piñon and Nina Otero stands at just a little over 4,000, and will approach 5,000 by the 2026-2027 school year, according to the district. There are 57 percent more students grades pre-K through eight in the southwest part of the city and 36 percent more in the south since 2002. Enrollment numbers are forecast to stay steady or decline everywhere else.
In May, the school board for a second time voted against a plan to redistribute students across the district that included taking over the lease from the state-run Turquoise Trail Charter School. Garcia says the jury's out on how the massive state reforms might intermingle with this critical local issue.
While the ruling helps, Garcia says, "in terms of demographic shifts I'm not certain because I don't know. As things are built out on the Southside, or if families gain employment at the [new Presbyterian Santa Fe Medical Center], the demographics could be somewhat different, so I couldn't say at this point."
In a conference call the Monday following the June 21 ruling, Garcia took a broader view for the state. Schools where nurses and counselors have been sparse may finally get the help they've needed.
"Many districts don't have the tax base to provide access to technology that our children need to be learning in 21st century," she says. "I beg decision makers in our state to not politicize this: Do the right thing by our children. Let's not waste precious human and resources on appeals."
