New Mexico Defends Title As Most Latino State In Nation - By Morgan Lee, Associated Press
New Mexico has retained its title as the nation's most heavily Hispanic state, with 47.7% of respondents to the 2020 census identifying ancestry linked to Latin America and other Spanish-speaking areas.
The Census Bureau on Thursday released new demographic details culled from the census.
California and Texas were close runners up, with about 39% of residents claiming Latino or Hispanic heritage. Nearly 31% of Arizona residents describe themselves as Hispanic.
In New Mexico, Latino pride runs deep within a region of the U.S. where Spanish conquerors arrived in the late 1500s and Mexico governed for decades during the 19th century. The state is currently led by its third consecutive Hispanic governor.
The new numbers on ethnicity and race have implications for the political redistricting process as states redraw congressional and legislative districts later this year with an eye toward preserving communities of common interest. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibits plans that intentionally or inadvertently discriminate on the basis of race by diluting the minority vote.
The share of New Mexico resident who identify themselves as Indigenous by race or by combined ancestry was 12.4%. Alaska was the most predominantly Native American state, followed by Oklahoma and then New Mexico.
An earlier set of data released in April showed New Mexico's population grew by 2.8% over the past decade, making it one of the slowest growing states in the U.S. West, adding about 58,000 residents to a population over just over 2.1 million.
In the West, only Wyoming had a slower growth rate. The U.S. had 331 million residents last year, a 7.4% increase from 2010.
New Mexico has convened a Citizen Redistricting Committee led by former state Supreme Court Justice Edward Chávez.
The committee is holding public input meetings across the state as it drafts proposed district maps. Those will be delivered to the Legislature, which meets later this year to send a redistricting plan to Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for consideration.
Lawmakers adopt the recommendations or devise their own plan.
New Mexico Denies Landowners' Push To Restrict Stream Access - By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
New Mexico regulators have rejected the requests of landowners who sought to restrict public access to streams and rivers that flow through their properties, marking just the latest development in a legal battle that likely won't end until the state Supreme Court weighs in.
The state Game Commission voted on Thursday to deny the applications, citing language in the state Constitution that implies all waters in New Mexico belong to the public.
The decision was welcomed by outdoor groups and conservationists. However, an attorney for the landowners argued that his clients' private property rights were being violated.
While the debate over stream access has been ongoing across the West for years, the New Mexico Supreme Court could provide more clarity once it rules on a pending petition filed by a coalition of anglers, rafters and conservationists.
The coalition contends that the public has the constitutional right to fish, boat or use any stream for recreation so long as they did not trespass across private land to get there.
Some of those who addressed the commission Thursday pointed to previous opinions from the state attorney general's office and a 1945 ruling by the state Supreme Court that found holding title to stream-bed property does not limit the right of the public to "enjoy the uses of public waters."
Advocates of private property rights have warned that if waterways are opened up, property values will decline and there would be less interest by owners to invest in conserving tracts of land along streams. Some fishing outfitters and guides have said their business will be adversely affected.
Marco Gonzales, who represents the landowners, said the case involves the intertwining of constitutional property rights and public rights to the water. He said state lawmakers struck a balance several years ago by codifying the need for written permission from a landowner.
Gonzales argued that one constitutional right can't supersede another and that the question before the commission was narrowly focused on whether the stream segments in question were navigable at the time New Mexico became a state in 1912.
Those who have fought to keep access open have argued that the Game Commission doesn't have the authority to determine whether a stream or river was navigable.
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, a New Mexico Democrat, is among those who say public access should not be limited, regardless of whether streams are classified as non-navigable. Many waterways in New Mexico and elsewhere in the Southwest flow intermittently and depend on snow or storm runoff.
Heinrich commended the commission for its decision.
"Accessing public streams for fishing, boating and other activities has long been enjoyed by generations of New Mexicans and is part of our state's culture and thriving outdoor recreation economy," Heinrich said.
The landowners will file appeals in district court, Gonzales said. He noted that an earlier federal court ruling that ordered the commissioners to act on the landowners' applications made clear that waiting for the New Mexico Supreme Court to act was not a justified legal reason upon which to base their decision.
"That was blatantly disregarded by the commission," he said.
Pandemic Spurs Boom In Virtual Offerings For US Schools - By Carolyn Thompson, Associated Press
Despite the challenges of distance learning during the pandemic, public school systems across the U.S. are setting up virtual academies in growing numbers to accommodate families who feel remote instruction works best for their children.
A majority of the 38 state education departments that responded to an Associated Press survey this summer indicated additional permanent virtual schools and programs will be in place in the coming school year.
Parent demand is driven in some measure by concern about the virus, but also a preference for the flexibility and independence that comes with remote instruction. And school districts are eager to maintain enrollment after seeing students leave for virtual charters, home schooling, private schools and other options -- declines that could lead to less funding.
"It is the future," said Dan Domenech, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators. "Some of these states might be denying it now, but soon they will have to get in line because they will see other states doing it and they will see the advantages of it."
New Jersey parent Karen Strauss lost a brother-in-law to the pandemic. Her vaccinated teenager will return in person but she wants her 5-year-old son at her Bridgewater home until he can get a shot. Strauss said Logan has excelled online under the guidance of his teachers, who will not be available if she home-schools him.
"If learning from home is what's best for them, why not do that? What's the reason, except that people are afraid of change?" she said.
School districts' plans for long-term, full-time virtual programs — which had been rising gradually — spiked during the pandemic. Students in virtual academies generally are educated separately from a district's other students.
In Virginia, before the pandemic, most of the locally operated virtual programs offered individual courses only to students in grades 6-12, and few, if any, offered full-time instruction. In the new school year, 110 of the commonwealth's 132 school divisions will use Virtual Virginia, a state-operated K-12 program, to provide some or all of their full-time virtual instruction, spokesman Charles Pyle said. So far, 7,636 students have enrolled full time for the fall, compared with just 413 in the 2019-20 school year, he said.
Elsewhere, Tennessee state officials approved 29 new online schools for the 2021-22 academic year, which more than doubles the number created over the last decade, spokesperson Brian Blackley said. Colorado fielded two dozen requests for permanent single district online options along with six requests for permanent multidistrict online schools, according to spokesman Jeremy Meyer, who said numbers are up compared with pre-pandemic years. Minnesota also saw a substantial increase, approving 26 new online providers by July, with 15 applications still pending.
In New Mexico, which like most states is requiring schools to offer in-person learning this year, Rio Rancho Public Schools used federal relief funding to add the fully remote K-5 SpaRRk Academy. A survey found nearly 600 of the 7,500 student families were interested in continuing virtually, including many who liked being more involved with their children's education, said Janna Chenault, the elementary school improvement officer.
"We teetered back and forth at what grade to start," Chenault said, "but we did have interest from some kindergarten parents and we wanted to keep them in our district, so it'll be K-5."
Although the spread of the delta variant and rising infection rates have cast a shadow over the start of the school year, President Joe Biden and educators across the country are encouraging a return to in-person instruction, largely because of concerns that many were served poorly by distance learning.
Test scores in Texas showed the percentage of students reading at their grade level slid to the lowest levels since 2017, while math scores plummeted to their lowest point since 2013, with remote learners driving the decline. Louisiana tests results also showed that public school students who attended in-person classes during the coronavirus pandemic outperformed those who relied on distance learning.
Pre-pandemic research raised questions about the performance of fully virtual schools. A 2019 report from the National Education Policy Center said data was limited by disparate reporting and accountability requirements but showed that of 320 virtual schools with available performance ratings, only 48.5% rated acceptable.
But Domenech said families seeking out virtual school often have children who are strong students and feel held back in classrooms.
"These are the self-starters, students that are already doing very well, probably in terms of the top 10% of their classes, so remote learning is a great opportunity for personalized learning that allows them to move at their own pace," he said.
Before the pandemic, 691 fully virtual public schools enrolled 293,717 students in the 2019-20 school year, according to National Center for Education Statistics data. That compared with 478 schools with an enrollment of just under 200,000 in 2013-14. Projections for the coming school year are not available, NCES said.
States vary in their approaches to remote learning, with some, like Idaho, leaving decisions entirely to local boards. Others require districts to get state approval to operate their own online school outside any that may exist for students statewide.
Massachusetts requires detailed proposals from districts that must address equitable access, curriculum and documented demand. New Arizona online schools are put on probation until they've proven their academic integrity through student performance.
At least some of the virtual schools that districts set up may never take in students. In North Carolina, 52 districts made plans for fully virtual schools, although some were set up as contingency plans in the event they were needed, state education department spokesperson Mary Lee Gibson said.
In states like New Jersey, Texas and Illinois that have removed widespread remote options, restricting them to students with special circumstances, some parents are pushing back.
"We're not trying to stop anybody from going back to school or the world from trying to come back to some sort of normalcy," New Jersey mother Deborah Odore said. She wants her son and daughter, who are too young to be vaccinated, to continue remotely this year for health reasons.
"We're not being given an option," said Odore, who is part of a parent group petitioning to change that.
Although many parents had a rocky experience with online learning during the pandemic, they often experienced a version that was implemented with little planning. Parents left with a negative impression of distance learning could slow its overall growth, said Michael Barbour, who researches online learning at Touro University California.
"Even if that option was available to them three years, five years from now, that sort of experience has tainted it for them," he said.
Free Tuition This Spring For Some Students At Tribal College – Associated Press
A four-year tribal college located on the Navajo Nation is offering free tuition for the spring 2022 semester to all students who are enrolled full-time this fall and receive at least a 2.0 grade point average.
Classes begin Aug. 16 for the fall semester at Diné College, which is offering 361 online courses and 37 in-person courses.
The school also is offering a 50% tuition discount and a 50% residential discount for student housing for the fall semester.
The admission application fee, technology fee and student activity fees are all waived.
Diné College — which has six campuses and two microsites across Arizona, New Mexico and Utah — primarily serves Navajo students and offers 20 bachelor's degrees, 16 associate degrees and six certificate programs.
Diné College was the first tribal college when it opened in 1968.
Navajo Nation Reports 49 New Cases As COVID-19 Spreads Again – Associated Press
The Navajo Nation on Wednesday reported 49 new COVID-19 cases and two additional deaths.
The latest numbers pushed the tribe's pandemic totals to 31,715 cases and 1,386 known deaths.
Health officials reported no deaths and only a handful of cases from Aug. 1-8 on the reservation that is the country's largest at 27,000 square miles (70,000 square kilometers) and covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
But on Monday, the Navajo Department of Health issued a health advisory notice for 19 communities due to uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus.
The health department plans to issue a new public health emergency order this week to transition the Navajo Nation back to "Orange Status" due to the recent rise in coronavirus infections.
"The details are being worked out, including capacity levels for businesses," tribal President Jonathan Nez said in a statement. "Based on contact tracing, it does not appear that new infections are occurring in businesses but rather through in-person social and family gatherings where masks and other safety protocols are not followed. We are seeing cluster cases in a few communities... We have to do better and we have to remain diligent."
School Starts In New Mexico With Many Masked, Few Vaccinated - By Cedar Attanasio And Susan Montoya Bryan Associated Press/ Report For America
The incoming and outgoing New Mexico education secretaries on Wednesday launched the fall semester with appearances at a high school pep rally packed with around 1,000 mask-wearing teenagers as top health officials issued another plea to residents to help limit the spread of COVID-19.
Ahead of the rally, students talked and hugged. One friend jumped into another's arms.
Inside, they were seated next to one another on the bleachers as they participated in a chant session with the principal and with Kurt Steinhaus, who will become public education secretary next week after Ryan Stewart leaves the post.
"Show up, it matters," Steinhaus said, leading the chant of the same phrase at Highland High School in Albuquerque.
Steinhaus and school officials were upbeat, highlighting that the students in attendance had overcome much adversity over the past year.
But there will likely be more ahead.
State Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. David Scrase and Dr. Christine Ross, the state epidemiologist, warned that confirmed COVID-19 case counts this week are 10 times higher than just four weeks ago. They also noted during a briefing with reporters that the positivity rate — which is the percentage of positive cases among those who are tested — is more than three times higher than it was in early July.
"It's the rapid rise that has caught us by surprise and is quite alarming," Ross said.
Health officials pointed to modeling that showed New Mexico will likely see around 1,000 new infections a day by the end of the month and that those new infections will likely mean more hospitalizations and deaths in the weeks after that.
They also cited studies that have shown vaccinated people can become infected and spread the virus to others.
"This is a real thing. It changes how we think about things," Scrase said, adding that masks, hand-washing, social distancing and avoiding large crowds still work to prevent infection.
Scrase and Ross also shared models that showed reductions in the number of daily cases are possible if all students and staff are required to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status.
Statewide, about 40% of youth ages 12 to 17 are fully vaccinated. That's far lower than the 65% inoculation rate among New Mexico's adults.
Albuquerque Public Schools promoted vaccines to parents and students and hosted clinics on campuses this spring and summer, but many students still don't have shots. Similar efforts were made in Las Cruces.
Among the immediate challenges for Steinhaus is keeping children in New Mexico's public school system after enrollment dropped about 4% last year.
Statistics show that the state's growth in homeschooling drove the enrollment decline amid high demand for teen workers across the U.S. The resurgence of the COVID-19 virus threatens to keep enrollment down.
Most school districts have adopted some version of the state's mask mandates as classes resume. However, there is an ongoing legal battle with members of the Floyd school board who were recently suspended by the Public Education Department for making masks optional. The rural district serves about 225 students.
Lawyers for the board members filed a motion Wednesday in state district court seeking to rescind the suspensions and to request a hearing on the matter. They contend the state has overstepped its authority.
New Mexico Shrinks Reliance On For-Profit Prison Operators - By Morgan Lee Associated Press
New Mexico is on the cusp of finalizing prison takeovers that will reduce private prison operations to 25% of inmate beds, amid a plunge in prison population numbers statewide.
Corrections Secretary Alisha Tafoya Lucero briefed a panel of state lawmakers Wednesday on negotiations by her agency to take over day-to-day prison operations from CoreCivic at the 744-bed Northwest New Mexico Correctional Center in Grants, and from GEO Group at the 590-bed Guadalupe County Correctional Facility at Santa Rosa in southern New Mexico.
In November 2019, New Mexico took over a prison operations in Clayton at a facility previously run by GEO Group.
"Once we complete the takeover of these next two institutions, we will have reduced New Mexico's private prison dependency to less than 25%," Tafoya Lucero said. Private operators oversaw nearly 50% of available prison beds in early 2019.
She said the state takeovers at Grants and Santa Rosa are scheduled for completion in November, and they will result in increased entry-level salaries for corrections officers of just over $20 an hour, up from as low as $15.50 at private facilities. Lease agreements will likely leave private operators in control of facility ownership and maintenance.
The administration of Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has rebuffed calls by state legislators for an immediate exit from the for-profit prison industry, aiming instead to negotiate a gradual withdrawal and avoid potentially costly disruptions.
Democratic state Sen. Linda Lopez of Albuquerque applauded the shift away from for-profit prison operations.
"It's so encouraging to hear about the state, what I call, reclaiming our facilities," she said. "This gives hope."
In January, President Joe Biden ordered the Department of Justice to wind down its reliance on privately run prisons, directing the attorney general not to renew contracts.
At the same time, New Mexico's prison population has undergone a precipitous decline in numbers since the outset of the coronavirus pandemic that leaves more than one-fourth of available beds empty, amid precautions against the spread of the virus at lockups and in the court system, state corrections officials said at the a wide ranging hearing on prison initiatives.
More than 550 prisoners have been released since April 2020 under an executive order from the governor to commute sentences for prisoners who are eligible for early release, with the exception of several serious crimes.
Tafoya Lucero said the state prison population has declined overall to 5,619, from 6,567 at the outset of the pandemic in March 2020. The population exceeded 7,300 as recently as 2017.
At Santa Rosa, half the prison building is closed for lack of inmates and staff.
The state has said it can do without at least one prison at Springer, as economic development officials explore alternative plans at the site to support local employment.
But Tafoya Lucero cautioned against further prison closures because the state could see a surge in new inmates as courts resume criminal proceedings that were delayed by the pandemic.
She highlighted the state's obligation to provide adequate prison cell space for each inmate under a legal settlement in early 2020.
"What will happen when we do start to see additional prosecutions take place — does that mean that we have more people?" Tafoya Lucero said. "Ultimately it is very important that we made sure there is enough space for everybody who is incarcerated."
Navajo Nation Reports 49 New Cases As COVID-19 Spreads Again - Associated Press
The Navajo Nation on Wednesday reported 49 new COVID-19 cases and two additional deaths.
The latest numbers pushed the tribe's pandemic totals to 31,715 cases and 1,386 known deaths.
Health officials reported no deaths and only a handful of cases from Aug. 1-8 on the reservation that is the country's largest at 27,000 square miles and covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
But on Monday, the Navajo Department of Health issued a health advisory notice for 19 communities due to uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus.
The health department plans to issue a new public health emergency order this week to transition the Navajo Nation back to "Orange Status" due to the recent rise in coronavirus infections.
"The details are being worked out, including capacity levels for businesses," tribal President Jonathan Nez said in a statement. "Based on contact tracing, it does not appear that new infections are occurring in businesses but rather through in-person social and family gatherings where masks and other safety protocols are not followed. We are seeing cluster cases in a few communities... We have to do better and we have to remain diligent."
Energy Giant Promises More Perks In New Mexico Utility Case - By Susan Montoya Bryan Associated Press
A top executive with global energy giant Iberdrola is promising more perks if local governments and others in New Mexico clear the way for a proposed multibillion-dollar utility merger that could affect the way power is produced and distributed in the state for years to come.
Iberdrola's chief development officer, Pedro Azagra Blázquez, was cross-examined Wednesday during the first day of an evidentiary hearing on the proposed acquisition of Public Service Co. of New Mexico by Iberdrola subsidiary Avangrid. Utility executives and other experts will be testifying over the next several days.
It will likely be fall before the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission makes a final decision on the merger.
Supporters say the deal could boost renewable energy development in New Mexico. Critics are concerned about the potential for rate increases and Connecticut-based Avangrid's track record of poor customer service and power outages among the utilities it operates on the East Coast.
Azagra Blázquez acknowledged during questioning by attorneys for the state's largest county and one of its largest water utilities that Iberdrola and Avangrid would be willing to offer more rate credits and economic development funds if the groups would not oppose the deal.
He also confirmed that the company would be willing to include $1 million for a science and technology scholarship program for students in New Mexico's largest metropolitan area. Another $1 million would go toward apprenticeship programs for high school and college students there.
Of the 150 jobs Iberdrola and Avangrid are promising, most would be in the Albuquerque area, he said.
Public Service Co. of New Mexico serves more than a half-million customers around the state. Consumer advocacy groups and environmentalists have been pushing for funds for communities in more rural areas, particularly those in northwestern New Mexico that will be affected by the expected closures of a pair of coal-fired power plants in which PNM is vested.
Azagra Blázquez also was questioned about the board that would control the New Mexico utility if the merger is approved. He said Spain-based Iberdrola would subject itself to the authority of the state Public Regulation Commission, dismissing concerns that have been raised about regulatory control given the corporate structure of Iberdrola and Avangrid.
Mariel Nanasi, executive director of the environmental group New Energy Economy, objected to testimony about the perks. As a consistent critic of the deal, she suggested company executives were making side deals contrary to rules that all parties must be a part of settlement talks.
She called the promises "Christmas tree bonuses," saying more details were needed.
The proposed merger has spurred questions about the companies' transparency, as well as conflict-of-interest allegations that stretch to the state attorney general's office.
During questioning, Azagra Blázquez could not say how customers' monthly bills would be affected by the additional proposed rate credits, economic development funds or any investments in generation and transmission infrastructure that could be used to export power to markets beyond New Mexico.
Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham supports the merger, but her office said this week that any proposal that fails to make New Mexico residents a first priority would be problematic.