Governor Bill Richardson Announces the Governor’s Progress Agenda (G.P.A.)
Outlines Process for Education Reform

SANTA FE- Governor Bill Richardson today began the process to reform New Mexico’s education system, announcing the formation of a task force to create the Governor’s Progress Agenda (GPA), the road map that will be used to implement changes in the State Department of Education.

The Governor named 100 New Mexicans to the task force, 54 from rural areas of the state.

The Governor’s prepared remarks from a news conference today at the State Capitol:

“The voters have spoken, and progress begins today. I am announcing a bipartisan task force that will work for the next year to ensure that the concerns of all New Mexicans are addressed as we begin to implement long overdue reforms in our schools.

Lt. Governor Diane Denish and former Republican Governor Garrey Carruthers will serve as co-chairs.

The message of the election is clear- New Mexicans want the Governor to be accountable for education, to ensure the additional funds from the permanent school fund go directly into education, and also that rural schools not be left behind. This prompted me to appoint 53 task force members from rural areas, including some who opposed the
amendments. We’re all New Mexicans now. It’s time to move forward.

This task force will develop the “Governor’s Progress Agenda” (GPA), and will prioritize issues and set a detailed timeline as we re-engineer the Department of Education, and our education system as a whole.

It is time for higher scores, more graduations, and greater accountability. I will demand results.

The task force will be charged with:

• Restructuring the State Department of Education to better support schools
• Identifying mechanisms that ensure the distribution from the permanent fund is spent in the classroom
• Developing the portions of the school code that require re-writing
• Advise on FY05 Public School support package
• Create charter vocational high schools
• Open up eligibility for charter schools to receive capital outlay funds
• Holding hearings throughout the state, and survey every school district to see what’s working and what isn’t.
• Make recommendations for the restructuring and streamlining of the State Department of Education
• Recommending the newest and most innovative programs to improve education

There are several pressing issues that must be immediately addressed.

• As I promised during the campaign, I will order a complete audit and performance review of the entire education budget: one-point-eight-billion dollars. We must make sure we’re investing in the classroom and not
  administration.
• I have established the Office of Educational Accountability to put a system in place to make sure the money approved through Amendment 2 is going to directly to education- higher teacher salaries and higher standards, advanced placement, full day kindergarten, and books and materials.
• I will establish a Rural Schools Division within the State Department of Education.
• I will, as I promised, establish an Indian Education Division and appoint a director.

As of October 14th, the State Board of Education will no longer exist. The ten members of the new Public Education Commission will serve in an advisory capacity.

I will now ask the Public Education Commission (PEC) to advise me and the Secretary of Education on education issues. I will meet with the PEC on a bi-monthly basis.

I want to create a stronger, and more responsive partnership with all our local
school districts, and give them the support and resources they need to do better.”

Governor Richardson’s Progress (GPA) Agenda Task Force

Co-chairs

1. Diane Denish, Lt. Govrnor, Hobbs
2. Garrey Carruthers, Dean, College of Business, NMSU

Vice-Chair

3. Carlos Atencio, Executive Director, Northern Network for Rural Education, Rio Rancho
4. John Darden, School Board Member, Las Cruces
5. Charles Hayes, Superintendent, Lordsburg
6. Jackie Riggs, President, NM Roundtable, Albuquerque

Steering Committee

7. Dorothy Armijo, President School Board, Pecos
8. Ellen Bernstein, President, AFT, Albuquerque
9. Kip Bobroff, Professor, UNM, Indian Law, Albuquerque
10. Leslie Boggs, President, PTA Executive Board, Albuquerque
11. Kaye Brilliant, NEA, Albuquerque
12. John Carey, President, ACI, Albuquerque
13. Yvonne Crooker, Principal, Thoreau Elementary School, Gallup
14. Dale Dekker, Architect, Dekker/ Parish/ Sabatini, Albuquerque
15. Veronica Garcia, Executive Director, NM Coalition of School Administrators, Albuquerque
16. Donovan Gomez, State Board of Education, Chairman of Indian Education Advisory Committee, Taos
17. Alfred Herrera, School Board Member, Esapanola
18. Eduardo Holguin, President, NEA, Albuquerque
19. Gary King, Former State Representative, Moriarty
20. Bill Moffat, Chairman, School of Business Officials Association, Los Lunas
21. Carolyn Monroe, President, Albuquerque Title Co., Albuquerque
22. Tony Montfiletto, Amy Biehl Charter School, Albuquerque
23. Angela Czubak, Principal, Red River
24. Stuwart Paisano, Governor, Sandia Pueblo
25. Kaye Peery, Superintendent, Maxwell
26. Susan Quintana, Golden Apple Teacher, Pojoaque
27. Tom Sullivan, Superintendent, Farmington
28. Christine Trujillo, AFT, State Board of Education member, Albuquerque
29. Manuel Valdez, Superintendent, Chama
30. Gloria Rindon, Director, LESC
31. Bob Moulton, Dean, NMSU College of Education, Las Cruces
32. Trevor Loy, Fly Wheels Adventures, Santa Fe
33. Randy Manning, President, NM School Board, Kirtland
34. Janet Martin, Teacher, Angel Fire
35. Leah Sandoval, Student, UNM, Pojoaque

Task force Members

36. Bill Garcia, Retired Intel, Rio Rancho
37. Jim Anderson, Superintendent, Los Alamos
38. Carol Angel, Parent, Springer
39. Del Archuleta, State School Board Member, Albuquerque
40. Loretta Armenta, Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce, Albuquerque
41. Fannie Atcity, Teacher, Shiprock
42. Kris Baca, Executive Director, SNMERC, Carlsbad
43. Ray Baca, Roswell Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Roswell
44. Harold Bailer, President, NAACP, Albuquerque
45. Charles Bowyer, Intergovernmental Affairs, Santa Fe
46. Ginger Blalock, UNM Special Education, Albuquerque
47. Ken Carson, President, Bank of Belen, Belen
48. Sue Cleveland, Superintendent, Rio Rancho Schools
49. Lisa Domenici, Former Teacher, Albuquerque
50. Karen Griego, Director, ENLACE, Albuquerque
51. Joe Guillen, State School Board Member, Espanola
52. Debra Gurule, Golden Apple Teacher, Cuba
53. Clinton Hardin, Senator, Clovis
54. John Heaton, Representative, Carlsbad
55. Carroll Leavell, Senator, Jal
56. Vicente Llamas, Educational Consultant, Las Vegas
57. Owen Lopez, Executive Director, McCune Foundation
58. Ed Lujan, Chairman, Board of Directors, Hispanic Cultural Center, Albuquerque
59. Chet Lytle, Former President ACI, Albuquerque
60. Paula Maes, APS Board Member, Albuquerque
61. Yolanda Manzano, School Board Member, Silver City
62. Kilino Marquez, Superintendent, Grants
63. Margaret Marshall, School Board Member, Quemado
64. Rick Miera, Representative, Chair, LESC
65. Bud Mulcock, Lobbyist, Albuquerque
66. Cynthia Nava, Senator, Chair, Senate Education Committee, Gadsden
67. Richard Pickering, Education Analyist, Santa Fe
68. Ana Mae Pino, Education Consultant, Pine Hills
69. Linda Preciado, Kindergarten Facilitator, Carlsbad
70. Frank Renz, Executive Director, Two-Year Post Secondary Presidents, Santa Fe
71. Manny Rodriguez, Superintendent, Roswell
72. Richard Romero, President Pro Tempore, Albuquerque
73. Stan Rounds, Superintendent, Hobbs
74. Kevin Shendo, Director, Education, Jemez Pueblo
75. Ann Shiells-Leviner, School Board Member, Soccorro
76. John Spradling, Herff Jones-Campus Specialist, Los Lunas
77. Mimi Stewart, Representative, Albuquerque
78. Sumner Price, Golden Apple Teacher, Las Vegas
79. Duffy Swan, Chair, Golden Apple Teachers, Cedar Crest
80. David Townsend, Former Co-Chair EITF, Alamogordo
81. Jo Lou Trujillo-Ottino, Commission on Higher Education, Albuquerque
82. Alan Weingarten, School Board Member, Moriarty
83. Phyllis Wright, Former Teacher of the Year, Las Cruces
84. Judy Zanotti, Executive Director, NM First
85. David Zimmerman, School Board Member, Questa
86. Caron Snow, Business Manager, Ruidoso Schools, Ruidoso
87. Scott Barthel, Businessman, Hobbs
88. Jon Barela, Intel, Government Relations, Albuquerque
89. Carlotta Penny Bird, Instruction Director, Zuni Pueblo
90. Ferlin Clark, President, Dine’ College, Farmington
91. Frank Fast Wolf, Special Education, Former Principal, Santo Domingo
92. Pat Gatten, PTA, Alamogordo
93. Stuart Ingle, Senator, Portales
94. Gay Kernan, Senator, Hobbs
95. Gracy Leary, Teacher, Portales
96. Harvielee Moore, Testing Coordinator, Deming
97. James Smith, Teacher of the Year, Las Curces
98. Ellen Swain, Golden Apple Teacher, Cimmaron
99. Thomas Dillon, Executive Director, Commission for the Deaf and Heart of Hearing, Santa Fe
100. Sharon Ball, LESC, Santa Fe

Staff

Katherine Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff, Governor’s Office
Kurt Steinhaus, Education Advisor, Governor’s Office
Bill Hume, Senior Policy Advisor, Governor’s Office
Kooch Jacobus, Education Accountability Office
Virginia Trujillo, Education Accountability Office
James Jimenez, Secretary, DFA
Alan Morgan, Education Consultant
Peter Winograd, Director, Education Accountability Office