By: Senator Jim Townsend

This week New Mexico once again was recognized as a poor performing State with regard to Education.  In fact, New Mexico once again, was the worst of the worst with regard to education.  We have to change and this has to be addressed. We must find the solution. Either we don’t know how to educate as a State or we don’t know how to test or we have given up on the process that we use in our schools.  I’m tired of this record, our children’s deserve better and it has gone on too long. Let’s try something new. Just being privileged to live in a town where the education system works does not solve the issue as a State.  Our job is to make the State system better and we are working to do that.  If you live in District 34, we are lucky, our schools work.  We can improve and we should and we should not be afraid of a private school idea. They perform well too.

This is why I support private schools. Private schools have been long regarded as a vital component of the education system.  Private schools can offer state-of -the-art technology,  smaller class sizes are often more often available in private schools and often teachers seem to gravitate toward a more controlled orderly classroom that many private schools offer. Parental involvement is reportedly often more vigorous in these private schools.  Having vibrant private schools relieves the population burden of public schools allowing them the benefit of smaller classrooms.

 So I support parental choice and I also believe that the taxes we pay toward educating our children should follow the child. No child should be trapped in a failing education system and no parent should feel the burden of having to send their child to a school that they do no meet the needs of the child.

There is problem brewing within the environmental world that I believe you should know about.  Recently a midstream operator, purchased assets of another company and discovered an environmental issue.  After self reporting, and spending over $100M fixing the issue, the State Environmental Department levied a fine of approximately $45M dollars.  That’s wrong, and should be stopped.  If you self report and the State fines you, why self report. Shouldn’t the State promote compliance and self reporting. I think so.

I have caused some to reach out over my  SB 185.  It is a Bill that penalizes the illegal diversion of water.  I plan to make a couple of amendments to this Bill but I am intent on stopping the illegal diversion of water for profit. Stealing water is a crime I want it stopped.  Water is pretty precious in New Mexico and I don’t believe the State Engineer has done enough to protect our water.

We had 4-H kids in the Chambers today.  It is always a delight to sponsor 4-H kids to the Legislature.  Senator Ezzell and I sponsored those in the Senate today and we were happy to have them. We were both 4-H kids and are strong supporters of the program.

Jim Townsend is a New Mexico State Senator from Artesia. He represents District 34.