Santa Fe, NM – Several lawmakers are calling on the Governor to immediately address worker shortages in New Mexico’s iconic chile harvest sector. State Representatives Rebecca Dow (R-Truth or Consequences), Luis Terrazas (R-Silver City), and State Senator Crystal Diamond (R-Elephant Butte) have contacted the Lujan Grisham administration this week to highlight the potentially growing problem that will wreak havoc on the state’s chile crop.
“Agriculture in New Mexico is a much larger industry than most expect to see out of our state,” said Senator Crystal Diamond. “The ripple effect of worker shortages is not that far off and we will soon begin to see higher markups and potentially shortages if we cannot shift New Mexicans back into the workforce.”
The trend nationwide, and within New Mexico, has revealed that the increase in unemployment benefits is the leading cause of labor shortages. Chile harvesters and processors are facing tremendous shortfalls as their harvest season begins this month. The decrease in workforce has the potential to limit chile supply, and increase prices at checkout.
“It is troubling to me that we do not have an effective plan in place for workforce reentry. This is effecting all of us but especially those families and individuals on a fixed income who will feel inflation even more,” said Representative Luis Terrazas. “We have known for several months now that supplemental unemployment will end, yet this administration has done too little and acted too late to properly execute a shift back to employment for New Mexicans. Even migrant workers are receiving supplemental income and not returning to work. It is imperative that New Mexicans get back to work.”
The lawmakers call out Lujan Grisham’s lack of cohesive planning to shift New Mexicans back into the workforce. The Governor has stated that supplemental unemployment will end in the next month, however has not produced effective or timely policies to initiate reentry for many unemployed New Mexicans back into the workforce. Worker shortages abound in many sectors across the state and have been highly covered by media outlets over the past several months.
“Last year we had long lines to purchase food, and this year our farmers are struggling with workforce re-entry,” said Representative Rebecca Dow, “New Mexicans are already feeling the cost of inflation at the pump, the cost of food, and other household goods. Every day we wake up to a new story about the economic havoc brought on by COVID and continued by Lujan Grisham.”
Senator Crystal Diamond, Representative Rebecca Dow and Representative Luis Terrazas jointly asked the Governor to “not hang these family farmers out to dry and leave our chile to rot on the vine.”
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Mr. Townsend gets to the point!
Jim Townsend
Ladies and Gentlemen, I’ve heard many of you say that it is time to stand up. Sen David Gallegos, Rep Rod Montoya, Rep Jack Chatfield and I met with several school Boards today about their feelings and intentions and Greg Schmedes met with School Board Association….it is time to stand up and let your elected officials know what you want and what your expect of them. A few Senators and Representatives can’t do it without your strong loud voice. Let your school boards know now. We want our school boards to be able to control their schools…Local Control is what we want. If the State can threaten your school board and your Superintendents to act against their will and against what they believe best for our children….shame shame on us for not supporting them.
Just in from WalletHub: New Mexico’s Most and Least Equitable School Districts
With more than half of teachers reporting significant learning loss during the pandemic but poorer districts disproportionately impacted, WalletHub today released its report on the Most and Least Equitable School Districts in New Mexico. To find out where school funding is distributed most fairly, WalletHub scored the equitability of each school district in New Mexico based on two metrics: average household income and expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools per pupil.
Alongside this report, WalletHub also released rankings for the States with the Most and Least Equitable School Districts, along with accompanying videos and audio files. New Mexico ranked as the 10th least equitable overall.
Below, you can see additional report highlights, along with a WalletHub Q&A.
Most & Least Equitable School Districts in New Mexico
| Most Equitable | Least Equitable |
| 1. Hobbs Municipal Schools | 80. Tucumcari Public Schools |
| 2. Melrose Public Schools | 81. Gadsden Independent Schools |
| 3. Carrizozo Municipal Schools | 82. Wagon Mound Public Schools |
| 4. Hondo Valley Public Schools | 83. Lake Arthur Municipal Schools |
| 5. Questa Independent Schools | 84. Des Moines Municipal Schools |
| 6. Mesa Vista Consolidated Schools | 85. Roy Municipal Schools |
| 7. Artesia Public Schools | 86. House Municipal Schools |
| 8. Mora Independent Schools | 87. Los Alamos Public Schools |
| 9. Moriarty-Edgewood School District | 88. Corona Municipal Schools |
| 10. Bernalillo Public Schools | 89. Mosquero Municipal Schools |
To view the full report, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/e/most-least-equitable-school-districts-in-new-mexico/77110
WalletHub Q&A
What are the long-term benefits of making sure all school districts have equitable funding?
“If we make sure that every school district has equitable funding, students in less affluent communities will have a level playing field with students in wealthy districts. As a result, their graduation rates will increase, as will their likelihood to pursue higher education and earn larger incomes,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “College graduates have $524 – $1,112 higher median weekly earnings than people with a high school diploma and no college experience, depending on the degree.”
What can we do to support underprivileged school districts in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic?
“To support underprivileged school districts in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we should make sure that all schools have the resources they need to provide a robust education in the coming year. The pandemic has caused a great amount of learning loss for students, with some months behind where they should be in a normal year,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “No matter how affluent a school’s community is, it should have enough funding for an effective catch-up year, including tutoring resources for students who have fallen behind.”