Today, National School Choice Week, a nonpartisan, nonpolitical public awareness effort celebrating educational opportunity for one week each year, announced that New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham officially proclaimed January 22-28, 2023 as School Choice Week.
The declaration follows an incredibly exciting week: the Southwest Public Policy Institute hosted its online panel discussion “The Future of Education in New Mexico” featuring Rebecca Dow, Senator Craig Brandt, and Dr. Corey DeAngelis as keynote speakers. Dr. DeAngelis advocated for universal school choice reform as the mechanism for comprehensive education reform in the state.
Also, Senator Brandt introduced the Education Freedom Account Act, a bill that would create education savings accounts, a common method for funding a school choice program. Outgoing Governor Doug Ducey may have sparked a nationwide school choice revolution, as the state of Arizona recently embraced its own comprehensive universal school choice program.
New Mexico has been plagued for years by failing public education institutions. Governor Lujan Grisham could set a powerful example for other states to follow in embracing school choice reform as a method to free families, children, and students from these failing schools.
The future of New Mexico is on the line. Will Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham follow national trends, uphold her obligation to provide quality education to New Mexico students, and implement a program that New Mexico desperately needs?