Dear Editor,

Our education reform agenda now includes six bills! Here are descriptions of the final two that were introduced the week of Feb. 13, as well as an update on our bill to reform school boards, which received a strong endorsement from the Santa Fe New Mexician and passed its first committee by 7-1 on Feb. 18.

IMPROVING THE COLLEGES OF EDUCATION

Over the past decade, the number of people completing traditional teacher training programs at New Mexico’s colleges of education have fallen by 75%. Graduates of New Mexico’s colleges of education report that the programs too often emphasize abstract theory over the practical, skills-based learning that is most valuable to...

An annuity is a financial contract in which an insurance company agrees to make periodic payments to an individual, usually in exchange for a lump sum payment or a series of payments. The insurance company then invests the funds from annuity holders to generate income to pay out future payments.




There are several ways an annuity company can invest the funds they receive. Some options include:




Bonds: The company may invest in various bonds, such as Treasury bonds, municipal bonds, or corporate bonds, which are debt securities that pay a fixed or variable interest rate. Stocks: The company may invest in stocks, which are equity securities representing ownership in a corporation...

Names hold enormous power. I’ve always been impressed by people who go by names with only one word — Cher, Beyoncé, Prince, Madonna, Bono, Beck, Banksy or Pelé come to mind. These one-word names are called “mononyms.”

 

Add Plato, Aristotle, Fergie, Fabio, and Coolio, and you’re looking at quite the lineup of mononymous people. If you’re not singing “mononym” to the Muppet tune of “Mahna Mahna,” you will be by the end of this sentence.

 

You probably know about pseudonyms. These “pen names,” “noms de plume,” or even “aliases” are the names authors use for a particular purpose. Classic examples include Dr. Seuss, Mark Twain and Mrs. Silence...

In the Land of Enchantment, families should be able to enjoy our state’s natural beauty without worrying about whether worsening environmental conditions will harm their children’s health. Unfortunately, children are especially vulnerable to the consequences of climate change, which include extreme heat, poor air quality, drought, flooding, and wildfires. However, this legislative session, lawmakers have the opportunity to protect New Mexicans from these threats to public health by passing the Public Health and Climate Resiliency Act, thereby ensuring a healthier, brighter future for New Mexico children.

The Act – HB 42 and SB 5, sponsored by Rep. Liz Thomson and Sen. Liz...