LAS CRUCES---While attending the National School Boards Association’s (NMSBA) 2018 Advocacy Institute in Washington D.C., Las Cruces Board of Education President Maria Flores and Andres Armijo, LCPS Executive Director for Student Success & Restorative Justice, met with U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham to discuss a wide range of issues impacting education in Las Cruces. Here is the information provided by LCPS:
“It was a wonderful opportunity to discuss the issues we face as a border community,” Flores said. “Since issues vary across New Mexico, having our community’s voice heard at the national level can help give context to the decisions these lawmakers consider every day, particularly when it comes to issues such as DACA.”
Throughout the course of the meeting, Flores and Armijo discussed topics such as the local impact of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the New Mexico teacher evaluation process, the Every Student Succeeds Act and local policy control, and equity, innovation, and social justice initiatives. Flores also invited Grisham to come to Las Cruces to visit with local educators.
“She [Grisham] was very interested in the international welcome centers we’ve opened at the high schools,” Flores said. “It was a great dialogue all-around and I’d like to thank Representative Grisham for her hospitality and support.”
Flores also mentioned that Grisham applauded LCPS Superintendent Dr. Greg Ewing’s recent testimony on a panel organized by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, chaired by Grisham.
In December 2017, Ewing testified before members of Congress in an “American Border Communities Forum: The State of Affairs under a Trump Administration,” in Washington, D.C. During his testimony, he said the uncertainty over the future of U.S. immigration laws continues to create anxiety among families that live in border communities.
Armijo, in his role as Executive Director for Student Success & Restorative Justice, has continued to work with several newly created districtwide subcommittees to implement social justice initiatives within the district.