Raiding the Land Grant Permanent Fund (LGPF) is on the ballot this year for extra early childhood funding, but do we really need the extra money?
The governor and other state officials want to put more money into early childhood education but as national rankings have shown, we don’t need more money, we need better programs. Increasing the rate of LGPF distributions will only increase more government management and more government reach, which clearly hasn’t worked out well for the children in our state. According to Rep. Patricia Lundstrom (D), “We have more money than we need…that’s what hits me.” Read more about lawmakers evaluating the need for more money for early childhood education HERE.
Realistically speaking, the answer isn’t getting more money from an existing fund but rather implementing programs that will yield better and more beneficial results for our children. Looking to other states that have improved math, reading, writing, and science test results, understanding the programs and incentives they’ve used to achieve those results, then replicating those programs in New Mexico will do more for our state, than money ever could.
So when it comes to voting to raid the LGPF, voters should demand better accountability and positive outcomes for our children from the billions already spent, rather than throwing more money at the problem. You can read more about the proposed amendment HERE and HERE.