From bottom left, LAPS Board President Ellen Ben-Naim, Sen. Leo Jaramillo, Superintendent Kurt Steinhaus, Rep. Christine Chandler and Sen. Bobby Gonzales during Tuesday’s school board meeting. Photo by Bonnie Gordon/ladailypost.com

By BONNIE J. GORDON
Los Alamos Daily Post
bjgordon@ladailypost.com

During its Dec. 8 meeting, the Los Alamos School Board heard presentations from state legislators on the upcoming legislative session that begins in January.

This meeting was the last before the Board elects new officers.

Sen. Leo Jaramillo represents District 5, which includes the Los Alamos town site. Jaramillo is a newcomer to the Roundhouse, so this will be his first legislative session.

“Los Alamos is my home away from home,” Jaramillo said. Not only do I work at the lab, my mom lives in White Rock!”

He called the Los Alamos Public Schools “a pillar of education in our state” and “a model for other districts”. He said students in his district who attend school in Los Alamos include kids from the Espanola Valley as well as those who live in Los Alamos.

Jaramillo said that in addition to education, his priorities include bringing broadband connectivity to every part of the state. The pandemic has highlighted this need because rural students are not able to attend classes remotely and senior citizens cannot access medical services online.

“There are no towers in rural areas,” he said.

Also on this agenda is a bill that would allow child victims of sexual abuse to testify via videotape, the legalization of cannabis and support of a plan to tap general fund dollars for early childhood education.

Second-term Rep. Christine Chandler began by assuring the Board that the legislature is striving to open up access to meetings in spite of the pandemic.

“We’re hoping that we may see even more participation than in the past,” she said.

With the pandemic in full swing in New Mexico, it’s no surprise that supporting business and the unemployed and underemployed is high on Chandler’s agenda.

“I hope the federal government will provide assistance for the states and for schools,” she said. “Respected economists agree that help can do the most good now, not later.”

Chandler serves on the committee working to come up with a bill or bills that would facilitate broadband for the state. It is the committee’s goal to come up with a package that addresses the problems they see in implementing broadband for the state.

Tax reform also is on Chandler’s mind this session and she is a sponsor of the bill to end trapping of animals on public land.

Sen. Roberto “Bobby” Gonzales is a familiar face at the Roundhouse. He has served as state representative for District 42 since 1995.

He was appointed to fill the Senate District 6 seat formerly held by Carlos Cisneros and in November was elected to a new term.

Gonzales was recently named senate chair of the powerful Finance Committee and state finances will be his main focus.

“We thought it would be worse,” Gonzales said. “Oil and gas revenues are up. We’re hoping to see more federal dollars, too.”

Education is the number one funding priority, Gonzales said.

In the past, LAPS has produced brochures outlining the initiatives it would like to see taken up by the legislature. The brochure was handed out to legislators in person.

Since one-to-one contact is not possible this session, the school district communications team came up with a new tool to replace the brochure, a postcard that will be mailed to each member of the Senate and House.

The colorful postcard is meant to succinctly present the district’s ideas and catch the eye of busy politicians. The Board voted unanimously to approve the postcard.

When asked what sort of local decision making LAPS had in mind, Superintendent Kurt Steinhaus said small group face-to-face instruction should be implemented at the middle and high school level, even if it’s only one or two days a week.

“We want to build on our success with elementary students,” he said.

The postcard outlines six initiatives:

REGIONALLY COMPETITIVE SCHOOL STAFF COMPENSATION

• Implement a four-year plan to increase funding through the State.
• Equalization Guarantee to provide raises for all school employees so that New Mexico becomes regionally competitive when compared to Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Colorado and Utah.

BULK PURCHASE OF PPE

• Ensure safety for school employees and save tax payer dollars by bulk purchasing PPE (personal protective equipment).

LOCAL DECISION MAKING

• Support school boards in making local decisions regarding the reopening of schools and safety for school boards, students, teachers, parents and families.

FUNDING FOR INCLUSIVE LEARNING

• Increase funding for professional development and expand inclusive learning environments that incorporate culturally and linguistically relevant curricula and practices.

K-5 PLUS

• Amend the K-5 statute (22-13- D) to expand flexibility options for all students.

CAPITAL OUTLAY ACT

• Amend the Public School Capital Outlay Act to provide 50 percent or greater state match for school districts.

The Public Education Department virtual review of Chamisa Elementary School and the new LAPS strategic plan also were discussed and will be covered in another story.

LAPS legislative postcard to be mailed to New Mexico legislators. Courtesy/LAPS