Our Schools

Growing up on the Westside it was not uncommon to be bused across the river to attend school. The friends I had in my Paradise Hills neighborhood had no middle school to attend and only one elementary school. The normal progression of schools was to first attended Sierra Vista Elementary, then Taylor Middle School and eventually on to Cibola High School, which at the time was busting at the seams. This was all before Rio Rancho started its own school district which meant Rio Rancho students were attending already over crowed schools. Westside schools were overcrowded then just as they are today! Twenty years – nothing has changed! Help me change this by being your voice in Santa Fe.

Last fall our community was outraged by Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) proposal to send our children across the river, yet again. The reason…overcrowding in our schools, namely at James Monroe Middle School, LBJ Middle School, Petroglyph Elementary, Ventana Ranch Elementary, 7-Bar Elementary, and Sierra Vista Elementary. As your State Legislator I will work for our children to ensure a timely, cost effective manner to build new schools. I have already worked to support new schools in our community by volunteering my time with the Save Our Schools Campaign and the Bubble Gum Brigade, which has helped push the passage of the Capital Outlay Bond issue last February and I will do so again this September. I am currently volunteering my time with APS Citizens’ Advisory Council, where I have engaged in education policy discussions; new school construction plans and looked at the school district budgeting formula. Currently, each school district in the State of New Mexico receives funding from a budgetary formula known as the State Equalization Guarantee (SEG). However, this formula has not been changed in 10 years and as a result our children on the Westside have not had the amount of the resources they deserve. As your State Legislator I will push to have the SEG reformulate to account for the needs of the Westside and other high growth areas across the State.

Other issues that affect our quality of education is how we support our teachers, educational assistants, nurses, councilors and other support staff. As your legislator I will support teacher and support staff wage increases. I feel it is important to make sure the people that educate our children are appreciated and paid appropriately for the work they do. Lastly, I will work to have small class sizes, so our children have an optimal learning environment.

Like many of you I was shocked to learn how ineffectively our current State Legislator was in championing our schools for our children. That is why I need your help and support to be a responsive State Legislator that works for all of us and our children.

Back to Antonio on the Issues.