When reformers took aim at the state’s education system in 2003, they were looking at K-12. Pre-Kindergarten joined the mix in 2005, on the advice of experts that early childhood education like this made a lasting difference for all children, but especially for poor children.
But starting another new program from scratch would be expensive. Some legislators wondered why the state was spending money on pre-K when it was already spending heavily to beef up other programs and raise teacher pay.
Pre-K went forward, championed by the lieutenant governor and educators. Since fiscal 2006 we’ve spent $79 million.
Recently, one of our spending watchdogs, the Legislative Finance Committee, reported on the state’s early childhood programs, including New Mexico PreK, the state’s three-year-old program.
This is one of those reports you might not look forward to if you’re the agency head responsible. The LFC doesn’t pull any punches. Often the committee’s conclusions prompt defensive responses and even counter-studies.
If I were Education Secretary Veronica Garcia, my worst fear would be that the LFC might say Pre-K was a waste of taxpayer money. Instead, the LFC appeared to be supportive. “New Mexico PreK has shown positive results, but needs to lower overhead costs,” the report said.
All things considered, not a bad opinion.
More than 67 percent of New Mexico PreK children showed a nearly 50 percent improvement across the board, the LFC notes. It also gave the program high marks for having the National Institute for Early Education Research conduct an evaluation. That evaluation documented promising results except in the area of vocabulary, and this the LFC attributed to the program’s newness. The PreK program met best practice standards, it said.
One problem area: Fewer than 28 percent of lead teachers meet license requirements. It’s an issue across the educational system because rural areas and reservations have a difficult time recruiting qualified teachers. This has been a PreK problem from the beginning.
The LFC faulted the program for having two departments (Children Youth and Families and Public Education) administering but also allowed that they seem to work well together.
Its biggest criticism was that administrative costs were too high; if the two departments stayed within the statutory cap of 10 percent they could serve another 592 children, said the LFC.
This became a dispute over definitions. Into “administration,” the LFC lumped such costs as external evaluation, training, technical assistance and data collection, the two department secretaries argue, and these line items are essential to the program’s success. Administrative costs are actually 7 percent, they said.
There’s also quibbling over the state’s Head Start program and use of stimulus monies.
Interestingly, the PreK program’s biggest cost is teacher salaries. The PreK teachers fall under the state’s improved teacher salary structure, which means they earn significantly more than federal Head Start teachers and the pittance day-care workers typically receive.
So, quibbling aside, it appears that New Mexico PreK has been money well spent.
In New Mexico too many kids are being raised by the TV set – or worse. Educators say that if kids start school behind, they’ll stay behind.
Multiple studies have concluded that good Pre-K programs help kids get ready for school by helping them learn numbers, letters and social skills. All kids make progress, but low-income kids make the most progress. The National Task Force on Early Childhood Education for Hispanics urges that Hispanic children be enrolled as early as possible to close the Hispanic-White achievement gap.
I wouldn’t expect a hearts-and-flowers report from the LFC, but this is a reasonable affirmation of PreK in New Mexico. And it’s one more thing Lt. Gov. Diane Denish can hang her hat on when she runs for governor.
© New Mexico News Services 2009