By Leah Romero, Source New Mexico

Posted on August 21

 

 

Vallarie Holliday’s children recently returned to school in Silver City, and while they are still very early in their educational journeys, the mother of two is already worried they will suffer from an inadequate system.

 

Both children have language delays, she said, and her son also receives special education services in school. He previously attended a private Montessori school before attending first grade at a public school.

 

“We actually kept him [in private school] I think longer than was good for him out of fear of transitioning into the public schools,” Holliday said. “But the staff that he’s encountered with has been great. My just concern is, as he moves up, is he still going to encounter great people.”

 

Holliday was one of dozens of Grant County residents who attended a community meeting on August 14, to provide their input on various areas of New Mexico’s public education system. The meeting is one of multiple hosted by the New Mexico Public Education Department and the Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation to gather public comments to inform the court ordered remedial plan in the Yazzie/Martínez education equity lawsuit.

 

First Judicial District Court Judge Matthew Wilson found in April that the state had failed to meet the court’s order to improve educational opportunities for at-risk children including Native American students, English Language Learners, low-income students and students with disabilities. Wilson ordered the Public Education Department to take steps to partner with an outside expert and prepare a draft remedial plan by Oct. 1.

New Mexico parents, educators and other members of the public have met at community meetings throughout the state this month to share what they think should be done to improve educational outcomes for at-risk students. Attendees at the Silver City meeting were invited to absorb a brief history of the Yazzie/Martinez case before sharing their suggestions on funding and accountability; high-quality, culturally and linguistically responsive educators; and resources, programs, support and instruction.

 

Holliday stressed the importance of transparency and communication between all entities involved in the public school system, particularly how schools communicate with parents.

 

“I feel like I kind of send them to school and I don’t really know what’s going to be happening,” she told Source. “The IEPs [Individualized Education Program] don’t happen until October. So when my son was there last year, we would get tidbits…but it wasn’t until the IEP in October that we really got a breakdown of this day.”

 

She added that her daughter does not have a speech therapist at her school and visiting a specialist on their own is an expensive, out-of-pocket cost they cannot afford. Holliday suggested addingmore summer preparation for special needs students to fully prepare teachers and students before the first day of school.

 

Jillian Bernstein, an online educator, told her group at the meeting that she believes the Public Education Department would benefit from a third party monitor, similar to how the Office of the Child Advocate was recently created to provide oversight to the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department.

 

She explained to Source that she is a licensed master social worker and earned her teaching credentials through an alternative licensure pathway. However, she found that she was often dismissed while working in the public schools for not following a more traditional certification route.

 

“They’re not receptive, but there’s also no accountability whatsoever within the district,” Bernstein said. “We need to have an outside agency and follow models that have been successful from people who are actually listening and passionate.”

 

Alexandra Neves, associate dean of the College of Education at Western New Mexico University and professor of bilingual education, explained to Source that her role is to educate New Mexico’s future educators, which includes discussing the Yazzie/Martinez case.

 

“I talk about Yazzie/Martinez, so this is part of our curriculum. But when I go to schools sometimes with teachers that have been there for a while, they didn’t know, like when I talk about Yazzie/Martinez, they didn’t know what it was,” Neves said.

 

Details of the lawsuit and its findings, as well as changes implemented at the state level need to “trickle down” to districts, schools and teachers, Neves said.

 

“The results come from people who are invested and it’s not like just, ‘Oh, you need to do this.’ So it’s one more thing on the plate of teaching when we should be removing things and letting them teach,” she said.

 

Tim Hand with the Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation told Source that the meetings have largely been well attended and that participants have started pinpointing helpful, actionable items for the state and other levels of education to implement.

 

“We’ve been doing this for years, right? The issues are clear, the barriers are clear, the assets are getting more clear. It’s the actions that are fuzzy,” Hand said. “We’re building upon all the work that’s already been done over the last decade.”

 

 

He added that there is some tension in the room during the meetings, but “without tension, there’s no forward momentum.”

Three more meetings are scheduled to be held this month: Aug. 20 in Albuquerque, and virtually on Aug. 22 and 26. People can also fill out the community survey online.

 

The Public Education Department and the Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation will then take all of the comments and suggestions heard this month and create a report, which will inform the remedial plan. The court gave the state until Oct. 1 to complete a draft plan and then until Nov. 3 to file the complete plan.

 

Leah Romero is a freelance writer based in southern New Mexico. This article is republished from Source New Mexico under a Creative Commons license.