KOB 4 News (Albuquerque, NM) is reporting that more than 50 New Mexico school districts have joined a lawsuit aiming to block a New Mexico Public Education Department (“PED”) rule requiring all students to have at least 180 days of school per year instead of adhering to current state law, which mandates students to have at least 1,140 instructional hours of school per year (not a specified number of days).
Executive Director of the New Mexico School Superintendents Association Stan Rounds says that the four-day school week utilized by many rural school districts in New Mexico is about to come to an end.
The PED’s new 180-day school year requirement becomes effective on July 1, 2024, and essentially negates four-day school weeks that are favored by many rural school districts for multiple reasons, including budgeting, excessive student travel time and staff retention.
The KOB 4 News article may be read HERE.
With New Mexico’s schools shifting from an extended and often-disruptive masking and online-only learning approach, and back to in-class instruction following the end of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, New Mexico’s already near-the-bottom rated school systems has suffered substantially.
So, rather than embrace local school district autonomy, and in less than one year following enactment of state law allowing for a four-day school week, and despite the reported effectiveness of the four-day school week by many rural school districts, the PED has elected to effectively ban rural school districts from the option of a four-day school week.
This writer does not claim to be an educational expert; however, it is absolutely clear that if there is one thing New Mexican K-12 students need desperately, it is consistency! Let’s pray for the wisdom of our PED and school district leaders, including the superintendents, and that these leaders would not operate with the mindset of superiority – ignoring the will of the students’ parents.
The well-being of our students’ lives and futures is at stake.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, [a]nd lean not on your own understanding; [i]n all your ways acknowledge Him, [a]nd He shall direct your paths.”
Philippians 2:3-4 (ESV)
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
1 Corinthians 8:1-2 (Amplified Bible)
Take Care with Your Liberty
“…Knowledge [alone] makes [people self-righteously] arrogant, but love [that unselfishly seeks the best for others] builds up and encourages others to grow [in wisdom]. If anyone imagines that he knows and understands anything [of divine matters, without love], he has not yet known as he ought to know.”
Praise Jesus forevermore!