By MARIE CHIRAVALLE
Los Alamos

As a registered Republican one of the main reasons I am supporting Democratic Candidate Stephanie Garcia Richard for House Representative District 43 is because of her positions on education and in particular her opposition to House Bill 145.

House Bill 145 Adjunct Secondary Instructions Act permits the hiring of adjunct teachers for grades 7-12 and enables them to teach up to one half of a full year teacher’s workload at the bottom of the pay scale. Yes it would lower the cost of education but at the expense of your child’s education.

I am a 43-year retired educator and administrator and I can readily see the pitfalls of this bill. Foremost it creates a constant turnover of instructors and instruction and fosters an unhealthy instability within the educational system.

No one becomes an educator overnight and being a specialist in a particular field does not make one an educator. It is not enough to be proficient in subject matter it is important to be able to deal with the individual learning differences among children. Unfortunately not every student comes to school ready to learn.

Just like we need to have standards for students we need to have standards for teachers as well, and this bill will erode those standards and requirements and diminish an Educational Degree. I do believe that a four-year education learning how to instruct and motivate children should be a requirement to enter a classroom.

Governor Martinez and House Republicans in their efforts to balance the state budget shortfalls have supported this flawed bill. In my opinion those that support this bill do not have a clear understanding of education. Our children are more important than trimming dollars. I would encourage the Governor and House Republicans to look elsewhere.