Sen. Ben Ray Luján at YDI Head Start Tuesday announcing support of the passage of Constitutional Amendment 1 this November. Courtesy photo

STATE News:

ESPAÑOLA — Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D- N.M.), joined by Wilhelmina Yazzie, students, community members, and Tribal leaders gathered at YDI Head Start to announce their support of the passage of Constitutional Amendment 1 this November. 

Sen. Luján and tribal leaders visited a classroom and then addressed a crowd of advocates and community members to discuss the importance of early childhood education for rural, Tribal, and Hispanic communities in Northern New Mexico.

“As a Head Start alumnus, I know how critical early childhood education is for the well-being of our children and the future of our state. I’ve been proud to champion investments for education throughout my time in office, and I encourage all New Mexicans to support the passage of Constitutional Amendment #1,” U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján said. “New Mexico children deserve every opportunity to learn and thrive, and these investments will help make that a reality.”

Yazzie, a Diné mother of three and the original plaintiff in the Yazzie-Martinez lawsuit against the state of New Mexico, joined Sen. Luján to express her support for the passage of the ballot question.

“Indigenous students have been overlooked for too long,” she said. “The State of New Mexico has an obligation to provide all students with an education that meets their needs and gives them a fair shot at success. Passing Constitutional Amendment 1 gives us voters a chance to provide a long-term, permanent funding source for education to make sure kids like mine can have every opportunity to succeed while honoring our language and traditions.”

The Yazzie-Martinez vs. New Mexico lawsuit found the state failed to provide an adequate education to low-income, Native American, English language learner (ELL), and students with disabilities. The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled in favor of the families and school districts involved in the case and ordered the state to take action to correct these failures. Increased funding toward education could support better educational opportunities for at-risk students in New Mexico.

Additional guests in attendance were Vice Chairman of All Pueblo Council of Governors, Jerome Lucero; Lt. Governor of Santa Clara Pueblo James Naranjo; Former Governor of Acoma Pueblo Brian Vallo; Director of Youth and Learning, and Head Start at Santa Clara Pueblo, Jeremy Oyenque, and advocates from Dreams in Action, Somos Accion, OLE and New Mexico Native Vote.

YDI CEO Robert Chavez introduced Sen. Luján, stating, “Vote Yes For Kids is an important initiative and I’m grateful to Sen. Luján for championing early childhood education. It was my pleasure to welcome the senator into our school today.”

RJ Martinez, Early Childhood Program Coordinator at the LANL Foundation also spoke, sharing that “the future success of any community depends on its ability to foster the well-being of its children. Research has shown that supporting healthy, early childhood care and education services for children zero to five produces substantial educational, social, economic, and emotional benefits for children and their communities. I encourage all of us to learn more about the possibilities passing this constitutional amendment can provide to all of our children.”