Another year, another 50th place for NM in Kids Count

The latest Kids Count report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation is in and (yet again) New Mexico remains dead last. As we noted last year, the partner organization in New Mexico which publishes the report Voices for Children, continues to back away from their own report because it only highlights the failure of “progressive” economic and education policies in New Mexico. Voices has one paltry quote in the Albuquerque Journal regarding their report and even THAT quote is an obvious attempt to cast doubt on the findings.

“Even though the results aren’t showing up this year or next year, we have a lot of faith that they will show up over the long term. So we should not be discouraged.”

Other advocates argue (without merit) that New Mexico’s “economic reality” prevents the State from performing well in the report. But, even with New Mexico’s massive oil and gas surplus and rapidly-growing spending the State has continued to struggle. The model of economic reform (lower taxes, deregulation, education reform) advocated by Rio Grande Foundation has sadly NOT been attempted in “blue” New Mexico.

In this year’s report New Mexico improved on 7 metrics and declined on 7 metrics. Yet again, New Mexico ranks dead last in education.