Brian Colón Announces Education and Job Training Plan to Celebrate National Teacher Day

Albuquerque, NM - Brian Colón, Democratic Candidate for Lt. Governor, released his Education and Training Plan today. It outlines a four-point plan to provide the needed resources for New Mexico classrooms and lays out a plan of support for the many New Mexicans who are struggling to learn new skills in an ever changing economy. The plan highlights Colón's ideas to:

• Put Our Schools and Children First.  Brian is committed to ensuring our schools retain the most competent and qualified professionals. New Mexico educators, their teams, and our school facilities should be of the highest caliber.
• Hold Schools, Teachers, Parents, and Students Accountable for Performance. Additional funding, alone, will not help our schools get better. We must hold our schools accountable for increased performance, strengthen the effectiveness of our teachers, and provide avenues for parents and the community to get involved in our children's education.
• Give More New Mexicans an Opportunity for Good Paying Jobs. Every New Mexico child should have a high school diploma, but we also have an obligation to make sure these high school graduates have the skills they need to get good-paying jobs. We need to create options for those New Mexicans who choose not to attend a four-year college to be
  successful in the workplace.
• Put a Priority on Training for the Jobs of Tomorrow. Despite the economic downturn, many jobs in the renewable or "green" industries are available now or could be brought to New Mexico, but we lack the trained workers to fill the positions. Brian knows that now is the time to invest in our people so they are prepared for these jobs.

"Today is National Teachers' Day," said Colón, "and my plan has had input from educators who understand exactly where the needs and weaknesses of our system are. Good education is the gateway to an improved economy in New Mexico, and any solutions for the economy or other social problems that do not include preparing our children and retraining adults for the jobs that are available today, will not lead to real change. Funding our educational system is a good investment, but we also need to make all of the various pieces of the system and those that have a stake in its success work together to gain better results. That is what my plan is about."  

Brian Colón's "Education and Training Plan" can be found here.