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Education is the Cornerstone
Eighty percent of our New Mexico children are not proficient in reading by the end of third grade, according to a recently released report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The long-term impact of this on our children is profound. These early grades are the time when children “learn to read” so they can then “read to learn,” and there is a direct connection between low reading scores at this grade level and low high school graduation rates. Being 49th in the nation for reading proficiency at this level is a crisis and we must react. These are our children and grandchildren, and it is up to us to protect their future.
As a Democratic Candidate for Lt. Governor, my sole focus has been on education, job creation and retraining. Improving the economy is equally important, but that cannot be achieved without a well-educated workforce able to take on the kinds of jobs that will create a thriving economy. Last month I released a four-point plan to improve our educational system and provide training programs to help those already in the workforce to succeed. The plan can be read here.
Quality education begins with quality pre-school programs that prepare small children to learn, and there is not enough capacity in New Mexico’s Pre-K programs to meet the needs of our state. Once in elementary and middle school, our children need classrooms where there are enough quality teachers, aides and resources to provide a good learning environment. Students, at any age, need the motivation that comes from many small successes, and should never have to feel discouraged because their poor reading skills make it difficult for them to read their math, science or history books. By high school, teen-agers should be able to see a path to a promising future – whether it is a four-year or community college, or a vocational training program preparing for real jobs in New Mexico. There are good jobs in New Mexico, it’s time we start training a workforce to meet them.
Quality education is the cornerstone to improving the lives of all New Mexicans, and everyone who can make a difference needs to contribute. Although sound educational policies and the commitment to provide the resources to implement them are important, each county has different challenges. We need parents, community members, and businesses to get involved with their local schools if we are to finally fulfill our commitment to our children.
On the Air
We’re now reaching the airwaves in Northern New Mexico with a bilingual radio spot. We want to make sure that everyone knows about our plan to improve education so that our children can enjoy a better quality of life in the future, and adults, already in the workforce, have a chance to get better jobs today. It’s the only way to genuinely improve New Mexico’s economy.
I promised, at the beginning of my campaign, that I would work for all 33 counties and – by collaborating with educators, businesses and communities – create solutions that meet local needs. Please check out my radio ad below.
A Weekend Conversation
As I was traveling through Northern New Mexico yesterday, I had an interesting conversation with a local teacher about my education plan.
She reminded me how hard it has been to get any real education reform in New Mexico. Between the failure of No Child Left Behind and the current budget battles in Santa Fe, our education system seems to be on life support. Got me thinking about Richardson's early days in office and how a then new administration had to stand up to a strong Republican Party to increase funding and accountability for our schools.
So we did some digging and found an old ABQ Journal Article, in it this article State Republican Party
Chairwoman Ramsay Gorham said the party would mount a statewide campaign against the constitutional amendments that would increase both funding and accountability at public schools.
Read the article for your self.
Push For Schools Draws Crowd
David Miles Journal Capitol Bureau
Albuquerque Journal August 07, 2003
Governor, U.S. Senators Back Two Amendments
A bipartisan coalition of political powerhouses on Wednesday helped launch a campaign to persuade voters to approve two proposed constitutional amendments they say would increase both funding and accountability at public schools.
Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson, Republican Sen. Pete Domenici and Democratic Sen. Jeff Bingaman
appeared at Albuquerque's Duranes Elementary School to rally support for the proposals. Richardson later made a similar pitch in Roswell and Las Cruces.
"You've never seen such an ecumenical meeting of politicians in your whole life," said former Republican Gov. Garrey Carruthers, who spoke in favor of the proposals.
Voters will decide in a statewide special election on Sept. 23 whether to change the state constitution
to create a governor-appointed secretary of public education and increase the annual payout from a $6.8 billion permanent fund to public schools and other beneficiaries.
Representatives from several business and education groups joined politicians to kick off the campaign. Groups in favor of the proposals include the New Mexico PTA, the New Mexico Federation of Educational Employees, the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce and the New Mexico Business Roundtable for Educational Excellence.
Bingaman said the permanent fund proposal would help pay for higher teacher salaries.
"This is one of those issues that I think should be a no-brainer for the people of New Mexico,"
Bingaman said.
Domenici initially opposed the proposal but said he changed his mind after two of his children, whose
children attend public schools in Albuquerque, lobbied him.
"My children convinced me about their children -- my grandchildren," Domenici said. "That's
what twisted my arm in this case."
The proposal is expected to generate as much as $78 million a year in additional revenue for public schools and other beneficiaries of what is commonly known as the Land Grant Permanent Fund. During the 2003 fiscal year, $332.8 million was distributed from the fund, including $275.7 million to the Permanent School Fund, which helps pay for public schools.
Supporters this year created New Mexico Citizens for Accountability and Reform in Education, a political action committee to raise money in favor of both proposed constitutional amendments.
Amanda Cooper, secretary of the committee and campaign manager, said she hopes to raise $2 million and spend most of that on a statewide advertising campaign.
State Republican Party Chairwoman Ramsay Gorham on Wednesday said the party will mount a statewide campaign against the permanent fund proposal but has not worked out the specifics.
Gorham portrayed opponents of the proposal as underdogs in the election campaign and said the GOP is a long way behind in the fund-raising race.
"It's going to be like the movie 'Seabiscuit,' '' said Gorham, a state senator from Albuquerque.
State Commissioner of Public Lands Patrick Lyons noted that the value of the permanent fund has dropped in recent years. Lyons said he is skeptical of State Investment Office projections that predict the fund's value will increase if voters approve the constitutional amendment proposal.
"We're in this for the long haul of education," Lyons said.
Lyons, a former Republican state senator from Cuervo, is scheduled to speak against the proposal at 6 p.m. today at Tanoan Country Club in Albuquerque.
If voters approve the proposed constitutional amendment, the annual distribution rate from the Land
Grant Permanent Fund to public schools and 19 other beneficiaries would increase.
The rate would immediately increase from 4.7 percent to 5 percent of the fund's average market value over the previous five years. It would increase to 5.8 percent starting in the 2005 fiscal year for the next eight years.
The rate would then drop to 5.5 percent for the next four years, after which it would decrease to 5 percent.
On the other proposal, Richardson said having a Cabinet-level secretary of public education would make the governor more accountable for education policy.
"The current system -- a 15-member state Board of Education and a superintendent -- is too bureaucratic," Richardson said. "They fight each other; nobody is held accountable."
New Mexico currently has a policy-making state Board of Education with 10 elected members and
five members appointed by the governor.
The proposed constitutional amendment would create a secretary of public education appointed by the governor and a 10-member elected Public Education Commission. The powers and duties of the commission would be spelled out in state law in the future.
Protecting Education
Thanks to all of you who have been supportive of our television campaign. The positive feedback has been encouraging.
I’ve heard from many Republican supporters who were confused by my vow to protect our schools. My response to them is that the differences in how the Republican and Democratic
parties move NM forward in 2010 couldn’t be clearer. I’ve asked those Republican friends and supporters to review the NM GOP web site to help gain a clearer idea of where I’m coming from and where I
respectfully disagree.
Because how we protect education in New Mexicans is at stake this year. Take school vouchers for example. Clearly school vouchers hurt our schools - taking public money out of public schools to subsidize
the privileged is hard to swallow with so many families struggling right now. So are special tax incentives for the wealthy that choose to send their children to private schools. Both policies deprive our schools of much needed resources.
My next point about education is about more than just schools for our children. People who are out of work and struggling to make ends meet right now need options for fast and effective retraining. Take a look at the GOP web site; adult retraining and vocational training programs are not mentioned as policy options to help struggling New Mexicans.
The path to improving our schools and putting people back to work is NOT found in tax cuts for high end earners and big box tax loop holes.There is no doubt that the budget battles in Santa Fe have come from
both sides of the isle. However it is important to note that during the last session, every Senate Republican voted against the budget bill, thus opposing increasing funding to make up the Education
shortfall. It is my hope as your next Lt. Governor to bring a more balanced approach to state government.
I firmly believe that investing in schools and retraining programs are important steps in preparing our workforce for the future, but our first step is to protect our schools.
Supporting Education is a Cornerstone of the Democratic Party.
John F. Kennedy once said:
“Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation.”
That statement is as true today as it was then, but there is still a lot of work for all of us to do here in New Mexico to develop the abilities of our children and strengthen our State. We can’t let the Republican Party’s attitude that everyone should just pull themselves up by their bootstraps prevail when it comes to our children. When I was growing up, government programs and local and state schools provided me with the opportunity to get a good education so that my life could be better than that of my parents. This is the American dream, and when that dream becomes a reality, it is our greatest strength.
When I was the Democratic Party Chair, I was proud to support our agenda to reduce class sizes and increase teacher pay, and worked hard to get our slate of Democratic candidates elected. Now I want to go beyond just supporting other candidates, and provide the leadership in Santa Fe that will make improvements in education not just our dream, but also our reality. I know that educators and parents both want our children to succeed and I will put the programs in place that allow them to work more effectively towards their common goals. I will make sure that our children will be educated to take on the jobs of this new economy so that they can provide for their families of the future. I also know that many New Mexican adults need the opportunity to be re-educated so that those that aren’t working can get work and those that are have the opportunity to do even better.
Take a look at the Education Plan posted on the website, and comment below to let me know what you think and hear what’s important to you.
--- Brian
Looking Good
Ever take a picture like this?
The Colón Campaign needs you, well your pictures actually. We are collecting elementary school portraits of all our supporters!
So call your Mom or your 3rd grade best friend and have the photo's to our office by the close of business Thursday, April, 15th.
We'll take good care of your treasured memory and get the photo back to you early next week.
Thanks,
Dan Sena
Campaign Manager
Pre-Primary Convention News
Sunday, March 14, 2010
By Dan Boyd Journal Capitol Bureau
POJOAQUE PUEBLO — New Mexico Democrats named an unchallenged Diane Denish to the top of their June 1 primary election ballot for governor Saturday, while former state party chairman Brian Colón headed up a list of lieutenant governor candidates.
Colón, an Albuquerque lawyer, won the top June 1 ballot position for lieutenant governor. "I think what we got today is a message that people want fresh ideas and new leaders at the table," said Colón, who received about 35 percent of the vote. Brian Colón Rises to Democratic Frontrunner for Lt. Governor
Democrats rally behind Denish at preprimary convention
Colón, Powell top ballots; allegations against Herrera put 'pallor on party'
Steve Terrell | The New Mexican
Posted: Saturday, March 13, 2010 - 3/14/10
“Colón was expected to do well at the preprimary convention, and he did. He clearly received the loudest applause of the lieutenant governor candidates, and even more clearly, he got the most votes.”
Democracy for New Mexico Blog
“Brian Colón provided a contrast by commanding the stage on his own, with hundreds of cheering supporters all over the hall”
Brian Colón Rises to Democratic Frontrunner for Lt. Governor
Brian Colón, candidate for Lt. Governor, swept Saturday’s Democratic Pre-Primary Convention with 34.3 percent of the vote – winning the top spot on the June 1 primary election ballot.More than 1,800 Democrats cast votes at the convention, selecting Colón by 13 percent more points than his closest competitor.
Ward Meetings and County Conventions Tonight
Tonight, Thursday, February 4th, Democrats across the state will be attending their ward meetings and county conventions. If you live in Bernalillo County, the City of Rio Rancho, San Juan County or McKinley County, I need your help.
All registered Democrats are invited to attend their ward meetings and county conventions. This is your chance to make your voice heard. If you are a registered Democrat, you can run to be a delegate to the State Pre-Primary Convention - all you need to do is attend your ward meeting or county convention tonight!
Give us a call at the campaign office, 505.888.2623, if you don't know what ward you live in, or want to help us in Bernalillo County, the City of Rio Rancho, San Juan County or McKinley County. Thank you for your continued support.
With your help, I promise to fight to create more jobs here in New Mexico, provide high quality education for all of our children and ensure a more prosperous future for all New Mexicans.
Sincerely,
Brian S. Colón
P.S. State Central Committee members are already delegates to the State Pre-Primary Convention, so please go to your ward meeting or county convention and vote for a Colón supporter.
Action Alert: City of Rio Rancho and Bernalillo County Ward Meetings
Brian Colón, Democratic Candidate for Lt. Governor, needs your help this week. The City of Rio Rancho and Bernalillo County ward meetings are on Thursday evening at 7pm and this is your opportunity to help Brian secure the top spot on the ballot.
If you live in one of these communities, Brian needs your help. We need you to participate in your upcoming ward meeting. You can be an important part of electing Brian Colón to be our next Lt. Governor with the following two easy steps:
- Attend your ward meeting to vote for another Colón supporter or run to be a delegate yourself. Either option will increase Brian's delegate count for the pre-primary convention.
- Contact us at info@electcolon.com or 505-888-2496 to let us know if you can attend your ward meeting thisThursday or need additional information about your specific meeting
date, time or location.
Thank you for your continued support.
Help the Victims of the Haiti Earthquake
On January 12, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit outside of the capital of Haiti, causing widespread destruction to homes, hospitals, schools, government buildings, roads, and lives. Emergency responses from the United States, the American Red Cross, and others has been quick, but Haiti needs your immediate support to provide food, shelter, and other relief supplies.
We are asking everyone to give what you can to help the people of Haiti respond and recover from this disaster.
- Donate $10 to the American Red Cross – charged to your cell phone bill – by texting "HAITI" to "90999."
- Contribute online to the Red Cross