Someone who goes by "Lindari" on Twitter apparently isn't happy that New Mexico schools have budgeted less than 10% of promised funding to address learning loss during the still ongoing pandemic.
"But they sure found a way to give away millions of dollars to those who took the shots!" Lindari said in a reply to a July 30 New Mexico Business Coalition Twitter post about the funding shortfall. " This is screwed up. Need new leadership in NM!"
Lindari on Twitter
| twitter.com/Mega_Linda15
Lindari's reference to "millions of dollars" given away "to those who took the shots" seems to be a reference to money given away in COVID vaccination lotteries, including more than $116 million given away in California alone.
Lindari's Twitter profile, also named "@Mega_Linda15," claims s/he is "married and living in the southwest," is into "gardening, photography and my grandchildren," and is a republican from a "retired military family." Lindari, whose profile does not include a photo, has 391 Twitter followers.
The Albuquerque-based business coalition, in its Twitter post, wanted to know who is responsible for taking money from APS [Albuquerque Public Schools] kids."
"Who is accountable when tax dollars R not used as intended?" the post continued. "Concerning million$ intended for education programs targeting our kids learning loss during Covid closures."
The coalition's post answered its own question, saying that "@GovMLG," New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, and "#nmpol," New Mexico politicians are accountable.
The Twitter post linked to a Santa Fe New Mexican news story published July 23 budgets in New Mexico schools are allowing for only 9% of federal relief funds intended to address pandemic-induced learning loss. The learning loss resulted from distance and e-learning implemented during the pandemic.
Students may have lost up to a year of learning, according to the news story.
The 9% figure is the amount that New Mexico schools plan to spend for at-risk student interventions Legislative Finance Committee program evaluation manager Micaela Fischer said in the news story.
"School districts and charters are planning to spend about 38 percent of that $490 million dollars just on technology and HVAC systems," Fischer was quoted in the news story as speaking to New Mexico lawmakers. Fischer was referring to combined funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations acts, according to the news story.
Two of New Mexico's largest school districts, Las Cruces and Rio Rancho, budgeted only 4% and 6% respectively from their share of the federal funds for learning loss programs, according to the news story.
Santa Fe's school district expects to spend about $2.6 million of its $10.8 million in learning loss federal funding for including low-income students, children with disabilities, English-language learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness and children and youth in foster care, district spokesman Cody Dynarski said in the news story.