House Republicans are slamming the test scores that showed 75% of New Mexico students are not proficient in math and two-thirds are lagging in reading or science.
The scores came from a New York Times report on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which revealed a national decline in reading and math proficiency.
House Republican Leader Jim Townsend (R-Artesia) blamed Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishman for the poor scores.
“This Governor has done what no one thought was possible, put our children’s education even further behind,” Townsend said in a press release. “For three years, Lujan Grisham blocked any testing and only allowed testing to resume because it is an election year. It is exceptionally dangerous to allow a politician so much power in upending our fragile school systems.”
Earlier this year, Republicans proposed a constitutional amendment called HJR 11, the Expanding Options for Educational Choice amendment, but it never got out of the committee. Townsend proposed the legislation, which was designed to reverse historical deficiencies in New Mexico's educational policy and funding. It was also intended to empower students and families to have more options in educational choice.
It is thought that the COVID-19 pandemic has had major impacts in several areas of New Mexican children’s lives, from housing and economic instability to education; a report from New Mexico Voices for Children said. U.S. Census data from near the beginning of the pandemic showed that 9% of New Mexican children did not have devices for educational purposes and 8% did not have consistent access to the internet.
Townsend noted that Republicans will continue to push for education reform.
“There are fifty highly motivated conservative candidates running for State House, and I can guarantee that each of them will put our state’s students at the forefront and not leave them behind as the progressive bloc has done thus far,” he said in the press release. “When we pick up seats in the legislature, parents and students can expect more leaders in Santa Fe that want to hear from them instead of union lobbyists. House Republicans will again carry legislation in January to fund the student, not the system and other transformative education proposals that will prevent the machinations that Lujan Grisham has used to drive scores into the ground.”