HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAUCUS CHAIR GAIL ARMSTRONG INVITES GOVERNOR LUJAN GRISHAM TO RIDE ALONG WITH RURAL STUDENTS TO AND FROM SCHOOL
SANTA FE, NM— State Representative Gail Armstrong (R-Magdalena), the current House Republican Caucus Chair and a former local school board member, today invited Governor Lujan Grisham and Public Education Department Secretary Romero to ride along on a school bus with students from Quemado or Reserve as they travel to and from school. This invitation is being made in response to the Lujan Grisham administration’s new rule requiring rural school districts to eliminate their successful 4-day school week and force rural students to spend up to an additional 4-hour per day school bus ride each week to and from school.
“I extended an invitation for a ride along to both the Governor and the Secretary to give them a first-hand opportunity to experience what a four-hour per day bus ride is like for many rural students who endure it every school day,” said Rep. Armstrong. “As a strong supporter of improving student outcomes and an advocate of long-overdue education reforms as both a state legislator and a former school board member, I oppose this new rule mandating a 180-day school calendar for the 2024-2025 school year because it fails to take into account the unique challenges rural school districts face in the amount of time needed to transport students to and from school. This one-size-fits-all rule also fails to recognize the positive student achievement and community support these rural schools on a four-day week currently have,” explained Rep. Armstrong.
Reserve and Quemado are among the top performing school districts in the state when it comes to English Language Arts (ELA)proficiency. For example, Reserve students have the 7th highest ELA proficiency in the state and Quemado students have the 13th highest ELA proficiency. In fact, 12 of the 15 school districts that had half or more of their students demonstrating proficiency in the 2022-2023 school year have four-day per week calendars.
“I am hopeful the Governor and the Secretary will accept my invitation for the ride along so they can witness the negative impact this new 180-day school calendar mandate will have on rural students who already spend considerable time each day on a school bus. It is also important for the Governor and the Secretary to better understand the concerns expressed by thousands of students, teachers, and school district staff who spoke against this new rule,” concluded Rep. Armstrong.
Rep. Armstrong authored a House floor amendment to the state budget bill (House Bill 2), which was adopted by the full Legislature, that prohibited the Public Education Department from implementing or enforcing any administrative rule mandating a 180-day school calendar. Unfortunately, that amendment was line-item vetoed by the Governor.