New Mexico plans to spend about $31 million in new money over the coming
year to expand early childhood education programs, bringing the state's
annual spending for such programs to about $197 million for the fiscal
year that begins July 1.
The Albuquerque Journal reports (http://bit.ly/177spEW) that the state's early childhood education spending has increased nearly 44 percent in the past two years.
The Albuquerque Journal reports (http://bit.ly/177spEW) that the state's early childhood education spending has increased nearly 44 percent in the past two years.
The new money for the upcoming fiscal year includes about $21 million in budget increases for state agencies administering the programs. Another $10 million is from the state's tobacco settlement funds transferred through legislation designed to boost the state's early childhood education efforts.
Critics who have advocated for more significant increases to early childhood education efforts in New Mexico say $31 million of new money is a drop in the bucket for what they consider New Mexico's education needs for children younger than 5 years old.
Allen Sanchez, CEO of St. Joseph Community Health, a nonprofit advocate for early childhood education services that doesn't receive state funding for early childhood services, said the state should spend about $275 million a year on early childhood education.
Sanchez and others have pushed for a constitutional amendment that would tap the state's Land Grant Permanent Fund to provide an extra $113 million per year dedicated to early childhood programs.
"At this point, they're funding bits and pieces," Sanchez said. "We can't piecemeal this."
The constitutional amendment effort failed during the 2013 legislative session after one key opponent, Democratic Sen. John Arthur Smith of Deming, held the bill in committee. Smith has argued that the increased distributions would diminish the $11.45 billion permanent fund that benefits public education.
Smith, however, sponsored the legislation that appropriated nearly $10 million from the tobacco settlement fund for in-home visiting and preschool programs.
The dramatic increase in early childhood education funding in the state budget since 2012 — a time when most state agencies have received little or no new money — is proof that the Legislature is committed to plugging the gap of unmet needs for early childhood education programs, Smith said.
Officials with the state's Public Education Department and Children, Youth and Families Department — the primary administrators of the state's early childhood education programs — agreed there isn't enough money to fund the programs statewide. However, agency officials said the budgeted funds have been sufficient to meet most demand so far.
Critics who have advocated for more significant increases to early childhood education efforts in New Mexico say $31 million of new money is a drop in the bucket for what they consider New Mexico's education needs for children younger than 5 years old.
Allen Sanchez, CEO of St. Joseph Community Health, a nonprofit advocate for early childhood education services that doesn't receive state funding for early childhood services, said the state should spend about $275 million a year on early childhood education.
Sanchez and others have pushed for a constitutional amendment that would tap the state's Land Grant Permanent Fund to provide an extra $113 million per year dedicated to early childhood programs.
"At this point, they're funding bits and pieces," Sanchez said. "We can't piecemeal this."
The constitutional amendment effort failed during the 2013 legislative session after one key opponent, Democratic Sen. John Arthur Smith of Deming, held the bill in committee. Smith has argued that the increased distributions would diminish the $11.45 billion permanent fund that benefits public education.
Smith, however, sponsored the legislation that appropriated nearly $10 million from the tobacco settlement fund for in-home visiting and preschool programs.
The dramatic increase in early childhood education funding in the state budget since 2012 — a time when most state agencies have received little or no new money — is proof that the Legislature is committed to plugging the gap of unmet needs for early childhood education programs, Smith said.
Officials with the state's Public Education Department and Children, Youth and Families Department — the primary administrators of the state's early childhood education programs — agreed there isn't enough money to fund the programs statewide. However, agency officials said the budgeted funds have been sufficient to meet most demand so far.
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