By Marilyn Doolen and Betsy ComlyCo-Facilitators
AAUW-Los Alamos
Higher education is essential to the productivity and innovation of our workforce in New Mexico.
College-educated workers earn higher wages and experience lower levels of unemployment than do workers with less education. Research done by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) forecasts that by 2020, two out of every three jobs will require some postsecondary education.
For many women, that education comes through attending community colleges like UNM-Los Alamos.
The Coordinating Council of the Los Alamos branch of AAUW strongly supports the mil-levy increase sought by UNM-LA. While its enrollment is growing, the college’s state funding continues to shrink, threatening its ability to provide the innovative programs that benefit our community.
For example, it offers Los Alamos High School students free dual-credit courses, which not only enrich their curriculum but give them valuable college-level credits.
Through its Early College and Career Academy, LAHS students can work toward a certificate in emergency medical services, electromechanical technology, or marketing by the time they graduate from high school.
At the college level, UNM-LA offers an affordable track to more than 40 Associate Degrees. It also offers classes that range from parenting and caregiving to fire science and professional development. Such programs enrich the educational and vocational resources available to our community.
Currently, our county’s total mil-levy tax rate is next to the lowest in the state, at less than 1 mil. We need to invest more in education, which underpins not only our form of government but also our economic well-being.
Supporting UNM-LA supports our youth’s and our community’s future. Vote yes in the UNM-LA mil-levy election.
