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Los Alamos School Funding Requires Action
Long-time Los Alamos School Board member Kevin Honnell was recently quoted as saying: “This (school) district, financially, is headed toward an iceberg like the Titanic.” The observation was made in connection with a discussion about class size, but Dr. Honnell correctly pointed out that the issue is much broader, and it is pressing.
Because of the way in which New Mexico funds K-12 education, our Los Alamos schools don’t have the funding profile, moving forward, to support the quality schools we have come to expect, and which our community can afford. Decades ago, with the very positive aim of improving education for our state’s poorest areas, the formula for educational funding was revised to pool all resources state-wide, and distribute them evenly across the state. This approach is taken in several forms in several states.
While we strongly support and are willing to pay toward better K-12 education across the state, the dark side of equalization funding in New Mexico is that beyond providing minimal funding for all our state’s school districts, New Mexico takes the punitive hard-line position that wealthier districts are PROHIBITED from spending more on education than the formula provides. Educational equalization laws with this draconian feature are often called “Envy Laws”, because they prevent communities that value education and are willing to commit discretionary resource to it from doing so.
When New Mexico’s educational envy law was introduced, Los Alamos filed suit for relief, requesting to spend more on education than the system allowed. Los Alamos lost in court, with the court finding not that the law was reasonable or even good policy; but simply that the Governor and Legislature had the legitimate authority to enact it. In the wake of that courtroom loss, generations of community leaders have worked to creatively bridge the gap between our community’s high expectations for education and the declining resources available from the New Mexico funding pool.
First, the School District has become an enterprise, generating revenue from the lease of excess property, and that has helped to some extent. Second, community leaders were successful in arguing that quality public schools in Los Alamos were critical for recruiting and retention of the key scientific, technical, engineering, and management personnel needed to sustain the National Security Laboratory. Those arguments led to a special federal law that transfers a significant, fixed sum to the Los Alamos Schools each year, but without inflation adjustment.
These initiatives and actions by our community leaders stand as major accomplishments that merit recognition. But while this approach has sustained the quality of our schools to date, this approach has resulted in some very negative outcomes, and the approach does not provide a sustainable path forward.
As members of the community who considers quality education the unquestioned paramount priority for our local government, the aspect of this situation we find most bizarre is that state law results in a top priority being resource starved, while our non-educational county programs have floated on the rising tide of prosperity. We look forward to the renewed Ashley Pond; we’re sure the improved golf course will be great; Without a doubt, the new municipal building is splendid; and we’re delighted that many of the county employees who serve our peaceful village of 18,000 earn as much or significantly more than their counterparts who perform those duties for Albuquerque, or even in state-wide capacities. Our concern is that when it comes to our schools and its employees, we are suddenly poor.
Our sense is that Los Alamos has a strong cultural commitment to education. To us, the elements of that commitment should materialize through: low student-to-teacher ratios; extraordinary opportunities for student academic, cultural, and athletic enrichment; outstanding services for our student with special needs and special gifts; and, staff enrichment and compensation benchmarked to the most successful school districts in our nation, rather than to the New Mexico average. The State of New Mexico should embrace, rather than envy and obstruct those objectives. We would have those elements for all the schools in New Mexico, but if we can’t; we would still have them here.
We find it unacceptable that class sizes are rising, that enrichment programs are endangered, that special needs and gifted programs compete with funding for mainstream students, and that school staff are second-tier county employees, with classified staff earning significantly lower compensation than their direct peers in county positions, and with our most highly educated, creative, and effective teachers making less than low level county staff.
As the federal government has recognized, quality schools for Los Alamos are important to the health of the Laboratory. Consider that the skill set needed to operate and support the Laboratory is held by well under 1% of the population; and that the people holding those skills can find good work in any number of industries and locations. Then, for our particular circumstances, reduce that pool of prospective staff to reflect that not every highly skilled person can qualify for a high-level security clearance. Then, reduce it again to reflect that many people would prefer not to have a job that subjects them to the scrutiny that goes with maintaining a security clearance. Then, reduce our candidate pool again to drop out those who object to working in national security for ideological reasons. Further, cut our pool to drop those who wish public credit and publication rights for their work, which are often restricted here. Then, shrink the candidate pool yet again to reflect those who are mindful of limited professional opportunities for a trailing spouse. Then, drop off the people who enjoy living in large metropolitan areas, or even those who just value diverse shopping and entertainment opportunities. What we have left is a tiny fraction of a miniscule pool of well qualified people who enjoy living in a safe, scenic, accomplished village with good public schools and abundant alpine recreational opportunities. For very many of us, quality public schools are the defining element that settle the question of whether Los Alamos is a good place, or a bad place for our families.
We see two opportunities for addressing this question.
First, our County Council should act immediately to absorb all possible costs that are now being borne by the school department; up to the absolute limit of discretion under current state law. Some progress has been made in this area, but much more can be done. School nurses could become county EMT or Health employees, materials and subscriptions for school libraries could become satellites of the of the county-funded library collection, school facilities and administrative functions could be taken over by the county and leased back to the schools on favorable terms, and school grounds could be subsumed by the county parks department. This avenue should be immediately and exhaustively pursued.
Second, our community should work though the Legislature and the Governor to amend the envy laws, so that local communities can override caps on educational spending by referendum, if they so choose. This type of “Home Rule” relief valve provision is common in states with funding cap laws, and is very often exercised year-in and year-out as an expression of local rights by communities that expect more services and that are willing to pay for them.
As the Governor and Legislature consistently recognize, Los Alamos is an engine for prosperity, regional growth and philanthropy in Northern New Mexico. Strong public schools, to our community standards, are central to the health of the golden goose that we are. It is not unreasonable to ask the state to let us spend our money on our priorities.
Tim and Susan O’Leary
Los Alamos
I just got back from Washington DC this past week. My husband and I moved our family from Chevy Chase, Maryland (an area right outside DC) to Los Alamos a little over 5 years ago. We had taken the trip back to visit our family and old friends. Every time we go back it is really emotionally hard. Our best friends are the neighbors we had in this great little neighborhood we lived in, so we pretty much spent our visit there playing in our old backyard, looking at what we had left. It was like going back in time, but someone else had taken our place and home and life.
When we moved in late 2007, I was so tired of DC that I would have gone anywhere, just to get away from there. There’s a song that goes something like ‘this city makes us crazy and we must get out’… I think that song was stuck in my head for the last three years I lived there.
I was tired of the traffic, the crime, paying an enormous amount of money for private school where I was also paying an enormous amount in property and county taxes. I was done with the atmosphere of self importance, that nothing else mattered outside of what was happening in Washington. I was sick of the feeling that I needed to keep up with the Jones’, that my house was not big enough, my car wasn’t new enough or worst of all, that someone else’s kids might be getting a better education than mine if I didn’t pay enough or live in the right zip code. I was sick of the mosquitoes.
Anyway, we went back to visit and from the moment we got there I missed it all! I wanted it all back! (except the mosquitoes) I was like a crazy person…I loved having every store and restaurant right at my fingertips! I loved the traffic, the noise, the crowds, the constant sound of sirens…EVERYTHING! I especially missed my friends, who took us in as if we had only been gone a couple of weeks. Even my kids were moping around when it was time to pack up and come home. It was depressing. My husband was the only one that was rational about the whole thing. I think he thought we were all nuts. I can tell because he was so kind and understanding to us, he didn’t tell us we were being crazy (like how you would act to a real crazy person). He actually didn’t ridicule me when I made him drive around looking for houses for sale. It was bad.
So, the only little rational cell in my brain said “wait until you get home, see what it’s like to go back to Los Alamos, you might be just a little emotional right now.” I agreed reluctantly.
I’m rambling, so I won’t go in to what a sad trip home it was, but I just want to get to the point of this long story…
An incredible thing happened!
It was great to be back!
My kids were happy to be back to school and their friends, (my youngest was just happy to be back to his train table…he’s easy to please) I was happy to be back to these wide open spaces, these trails, my home, my friends, no humidity, no mosquitoes.
No really, it all came back to me why I love Los Alamos.
It’s not a city. It’s a town.
We moved here because we wanted a town. And we found one that is truly special.
Where else can you find a place with, I’m going to make a list here:
Where else would you find all these things and still be able to live a small town life?
On more than one occasion I have driven my kids to school in my pajamas. My worst fear is that I will get a ticket and be listed in the Monitor’s Police Beat as the lady in her nightgown who failed to signal her turn. I can’t go to Smith’s without seeing at least 3 people I know. That means I definitely can’t run to the grocery store some of the days I drop my kids off at school.
I hope I don’t forget what I love about Los Alamos. I want things for this town. More restaurants, businesses, a rec center, my list is long. But I hope I keep reminding myself what I don’t want for Los Alamos. I don’t want it to be a city.
I’m re-posting this from Susan about tonight’s meeting. Thanks Susan!!!
It looks like the consolidation of Mountain second grade classes from three to two (which means class sizes of at least 26, possibly more) is in effect, despite a number of parents reaching out to Dr. Schmidt and Gerry Washburn in the past week. For perspective, NEA recommends class sizes of 15 for K-3. Today, Tuesday Aug 13, there’s a School Board Meeting at 5:30 at the high school speech theater which is apparently located near the gym. Public Comment is early on the agenda and should occur shortly after the meeting starts. This is a good opportunity to voice concerns about class size, not only at Mountain but also at Barranca and Aspen, which also has large class sizes this year in second grade. The Administration and School Board are dealing with a tough budget year. If they know that parents (lots of parents) are concerned about class size, it could help them realize that smaller class sizes for elementary education is a priority for our community — and encourage them to find other ways to deal with their budget issues.
More good ideas for Art in Public Places. This from Ft. Collins.
Now that Ashley Pond is getting her big makeover, I keep thinking about how great it would be to use some of our county funds allocated for Art in Public Places to create something around the pond for our kids to enjoy for years to come. the common idea I hear from a lot of moms is a fountain or splash pad…
What about a climbing structure, like the great ones on Pearl Street in Boulder?
Or the cool one in Buena Vista? (I bet a few adults in this town would enjoy that one!)
There are so many great ideas for interactive art that goes beyond the typical bronze statue that reminds us of our past.
My kids always loved The Awakening when it was in DC near the Tidal Basin.
and we love the Railyard Park in Santa Fe, and how naturally it fits into the area (The guy sleeping in the tunnel with his guitar at 10am during the week we could do without, but hey, it’s just another great reminder of why we love Los Alamos!)
Anyway, I know we have money for art in Los Alamos, but how about spending that on something we could use and keep enjoying over time? The thought of another statue that a tourist might stop by once to stand next to, and something my family might notice once, doesn’t seem like that great of an idea in a place where those resources could make this a much more family friendly area.
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