National teachers union president blasts Martinez during state Capitol visit
The head of one of the country’s most powerful teachers unions came to Santa Fe on Wednesday and criticized Gov. Susana Martinez’s education policies as a “blame and shame” approach that demoralizes teachers and hurts efforts to improve public schools.
During a news conference at the Capitol less than an hour before the start of a special legislative session to balance the state budget, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, likened Martinez and New Mexico Public Education Secretary Hanna Skandera to President Donald Trump. She said Martinez and Skandera, like Trump and U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, want to destabilize and privatize public education.
She also blasted Trump’s proposal, announced earlier this week, to cut $11 billion from federal public education funding. That move “is cruel and callous and catastrophic,” Weingarten said.
Democratic lawmakers from both the Senate and House of Representatives surrounded her and pledged to hold firm against any additional cuts to public education.
Martinez vetoed all funding for the state’s higher education system earlier this year, partly in protest of the state Senate’s failure to hold confirmation hearings for two of her appointees to The University of New Mexico Board of Regents. But Martinez and Republican lawmakers have told The New Mexican they also intend to protect public school funding levels for the coming year.
Representatives for the governor and Skandera said Weingarten’s appearance at the Capitol, which came as the state Democratic Party held a march in support of National teachers union president blasts Martinez during state Capitol visit - The Santa Fe New Mexican: Northern New Mexico Education:
