As Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham listens remotely, Mariana Padilla, newly appointed Cabinet secretary of the state Public Education Department, speaks during a news conference Tuesday at the Roundhouse. Padilla said improving student attendance and closing persistent achievement gaps will remain priorities at the department under her leadership. “[Parents] need to have confidence in their schools,’ she said.
Mariana Padilla, newly selected Cabinet secretary of the state Public Education Department, speaks during a news conference Tuesday at the Roundhouse. “I will be here till the end,†Padilla told state officials and others. “I made that commitment to [the] governor and to our state and to myself.â€
As Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham listens remotely, Mariana Padilla, newly appointed Cabinet secretary of the state Public Education Department, speaks during a news conference Tuesday at the Roundhouse. Padilla said improving student attendance and closing persistent achievement gaps will remain priorities at the department under her leadership. “[Parents] need to have confidence in their schools,’ she said.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham introduced Mariana Padilla on Tuesday as the person who will correct the course of the state Public Education Department through the end of her term.
A former educator and director of the New Mexico Children’s Cabinet, Padilla is Lujan Grisham’s fifth public education secretary since 2019. Following her appointment last week, she takes over the education department after the abrupt resignation in August of former Public Education Secretary Arsenio Romero, who is vying to be president of New Mexico State University.
“I will be here till the end,†Padilla told state officials and others gathered Tuesday at the state Capitol for a news conference. “I made that commitment to [the] governor and to our state and to myself.â€
Lujan Grisham, who joined the news conference remotely because she is recovering from COVID-19, lauded Padilla’s management skills, which she said would keep the department accountable, and credited her with dramatically increasing access to a new summer program for K-8 students that aims to boost literacy skills.
“Her superpower is [being] task-oriented and focused,†the governor said. “And, I think, with a more direct presence at the department, they’re going to have the benefit of that mentorship and leadership.â€
She cited the launch this year of the agency’s Summer Reading Program, and its expansion from an originally anticipated 900 students to nearly 10,000 kids across the state.
“Let me tell you who did that: Mariana did that,†the governor said.
Mariana Padilla, newly selected Cabinet secretary of the state Public Education Department, speaks during a news conference Tuesday at the Roundhouse. “I will be here till the end,†Padilla told state officials and others. “I made that commitment to [the] governor and to our state and to myself.â€
Padilla said improving student attendance and closing persistent achievement gaps will remain priorities at the department under her leadership.
“There’s also an accountability factor here to make sure that we’re doing all of the things that work,†she said.
During the 2022-23 school year, nearly 40% of New Mexico students were considered chronically absent — or missed more than a tenth of their classes. Data from the same year found only 38% of students were proficient in reading.
But, Lujan Grisham said, these outcomes are not just the state’s responsibility.
The governor called for a “parallel accountability track†for school districts and the Public Education Department to hold themselves separately accountable.
Lujan Grisham pointed to Albuquerque Public Schools, which she said has made significant strides recently because of increased instructional time.
Requiring more class time — specifically, a controversial rule adopted in March that mandates 180 days of instruction at all New Mexico public schools — has been a hallmark of the Public Education Department in recent years.
Though Lujan Grisham called the rule “really valuable,†it resulted in a lawsuit brought by the New Mexico School Superintendents Association and over 50 school districts — including ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe Public Schools. In the 90-page complaint, the coalition of school officials called the mandate “unlawful†and an “overreach.â€
The mandate, halted with a preliminary injunction by 5th Judicial District Judge Dustin Hunter, remains paused pending a resolution of the dispute.
The daughter of two educators, Padilla is a parent of three daughters who attend public schools in ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe. She said she plans to further engage parents in their students’ education.
“As a parent, I’m in the schools every day. I’m doing homework every day with my three kids,†Padilla said. “One of the things that I really want to focus on in my role is: How are we serving parents in education? They need to have confidence in their schools.â€
