Governor bemoans absenteeism, calls for more school days at White House event

Jan. 17—Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham may be fighting an uphill battle in her controversial quest to mandate a 180-day school year across the state.

But her goal fits right into the educational agenda of a powerful potential ally: the Biden administration.

Fresh off Tuesday's State of the State address, where she outlined a number of educational goals, the governor spoke Wednesday on a panel of state and federal officials introducing the White House's road map to help states boost students' academic performance. The plan, officials said, encourages states to focus on reducing absenteeism, funding "high-dosage" tutoring opportunities — and increasing extended, after-school and summer school program.

"This is a moment of truth in education in our country," said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. "Are we going to raise the bar or are we going to return to the status quo?"

Lujan Grisham remotely joined governors and state officials at the event, where leaders discussed different initiatives they've used to boost student performance. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy referenced a program launched last year to help fund intensive tutoring for students disproportionally impacted by the pandemic. And Maryland Gov. Wes Moore detailed the creation of the Maryland Tutoring Corps, which used federal COVID-19 relief dollars to fund day math tutoring for secondary students, especially in middle schools.

Lujan Grisham said during the event that New Mexico has a long way to go.

"We are in a terrible, frankly, position with chronic absenteeism," she said. "I am embarrassed about it but it is true nonetheless that high schools and [middle] schools are not just our only problems. We're beginning to see troubling patterns even in elementary school."

Lujan Grisham has pushed in recent years to mandate more learning hours for New Mexico schoolchildren. Last year, she signed a bill to increase learning time in public schools from 990 hours to 1,140 hours, but allowed districts some flexibility in when to add the hours. In recent years, the state has funded optional measures for extra learning days, including K-5 Plus and K-12 Plus.

In Tuesday's speech, Lujan Grisham urged lawmakers to fund and mandate a 180-day school year for all New Mexico students, even in rural areas that typically have school just four days each week during the school year. She also requested $30 million to build a statewide literacy institute and another $30 million for free summer literacy programs that she said will serve 10,000 students.

At Wednesday's event, she bemoaned the fact that, while schools that have embraced optional extended learning programs have seen improvement, it has been "harder than it ought to be" to get schools to buy in.

"I could use some help getting schools to really understand the value," she said. "Kids will come to school. They'll stay in school. Teacher satisfaction will go up. Behavior challenges will go down."