Reply To: Transforming Education

SUN Project – Long Range Comprehensive Plan for Public Education – presented at statewide gathering
Focus has been on Alb and Las Cruces
Listening to communities for decades
Several presentations to funders and in other spaces with other associations
Hatch Valley School Board – Resolution to introduce 10 year strategic plan

This is a very long term process – hard to get people to unify around this.

Lawsuit against state of New Mexico – education in New Mexico is a fundamental right.
What does this right mean for students? We as communities should have voice?
Through SUN project, create communication tool – what is it really want as this right?

Ethnic Studies –

We need to learn to build many things simultaneously (Beva’s word). One of the things we are building separate but overlapping from the SUN project, creating statewide initiative around ethnic studies.

How do we define safe spaces and have conversations. Had ethnic studies summit on the 19th. Goal to articulate our own histories (Beva’s words).

Call to action – how do we get involved?
1. Need
2. Zoom conference / Ethnic studies project – Sun Project
3. Invite to be partners with us. Important all of our people and communities be presented.

People in state saying we can have multiple plans – but this hasn’t worked. Need a plan to hold state leaders accountable to what we want.

Deeper widening engagement (Beva’s words) – We are creating our own definition of ethnic studies.
SUN Project – Honor diversity of histories, cultures, etc.

Need to be careful about the whole way we look at policy. Find ways for people to work together.