land grant permanent fund

On this week’s Let's Talk New Mexico, we look at what happens next now that voters approved a constitutional amendment to funnel more money from the Land Grant Permanent Fund into early childhood education and public schools.

Voters passed all three amendments to the state’s constitution to provide more money for early childhood education, allow the state to invest in essential services and spares judges from an election race in the first year of their appointment. Three bond issues passed for public libraries, educational institutions and senior centers also passed with the third for education not yet called by AP.

Voters in the November election will have the option to approve Constitutional Amendment 1, which would invest money from a state trust, in our youngest children and public school systems. The Land Grant Permanent Fund is the second wealthiest fund in the country and advocates have pushed for years to use more of the money to address New Mexico’s historically low child wellbeing rankings.

For years advocates have sought a constitutional amendment that would allot more money to early childhood programs from a state permanent fund. This year the issue finally goes before voters in the November general election. Constitutional Amendment Number 1 would increase the distribution of money from the Land Grant Permanent Fund to pay for more early childhood education and to our public school systems.

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Supporters of early childhood education didn’t get the funding they were hoping for this legislative session.Some House lawmakers wanted to use more money…