Contact: Lorraine Montoya-Vigil
(505)986-4723
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 18, 2013
Legislators Demand Stability and Inclusiveness from Public Education Department
Santa Fe, NM — The Public Education Department’s (PED) recent changes to high school graduation requirements are wreaking havoc to those most affected: students, parents and local school districts. While PED has indicated that current high school seniors will not be subject to its most recent changes (that would have left 50 percent of current high school seniors ineligible to graduate), juniors, sophomores and freshmen however, are not so lucky.
“My concern is not with the changes to the graduation requirements but the manner in which these changes are being implemented,” said State Senator and Legislative Education Study Committee (LESC) Chair John Sapien (D-9-Bernalillo). “Educators are not only being forced to explain to parents and students PED’s new, ever-changing, and eleventh hour graduation requirements, they also have to prepare students to take on the new graduation requirements.”
PED’s changes were made without input from public school superintendents, teachers and parents. “I have no problem with raising the bar for our students. But PED needs to understand that its actions are not done in a vacuum. Getting input from all stakeholders is crucial. Making changes from ‘the ivory tower’ doesn’t help the people most affected by the new rules. In order to successfully raise the bar, a proper foundation has to be laid and PED has failed to do that,” said Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez (D-29-Valencia, Bernalillo).
“This is another example of the Martinez administration trying to circumvent the legislative process,” said Sen. Sanchez. “If PED refuses to listen to the voices of students, parents, teachers, and local school districts, it is incumbent on the legislature to give all stakeholders an opportunity to weigh in. During the upcoming legislative session, we will consider legislation that addresses this important issue in a manner that assures uniformity and stability for all those directly affected.”
Superintendants and educators from around the state testified at last week’s LESC meeting that because so many high school students are currently not eligible for graduation due to these new policies, several students have either considered dropping out or have already dropped out to pursue their GED.
Sen. Sapien said that he has received several calls from parents in his district stating they intend to remove their children from the public schools and instead have them pursue GED’s. He also stated that several teachers have called to let him know they intend to leave their educational careers at the end of the current school year. He asked, “If our local high school students cannot be guaranteed a diploma after following the rules and good local teachers are leaving the profession, how can we expect to keep our workforce maintained and our state economically viable in the future?”
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