Portales teachers express concerns

PORTALES — A committee of Portales Municipal Schools teachers on Tuesday expressed deep concern over the New Mexico Public Education Department’s proposed Social Studies standards, which the PED wants to launch next fall.

The school board, at Superintendent Johnnie Cain’s suggestion, decided it will continue discussion of the proposed standards at a work session scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Monday in the school board room at 501 S. Abilene.

Without mentioning critical race theory, middle school teacher Scott Schumpert said, proposed guidelines contain many elements of the approach to teaching social sciences to students, starting in kindergarten.

The theory “is not mentioned in the guidelines,” Schumpert said, “but it is injected” throughout the state’s proposed standards.

Critical race theory “has been banned in many states,” he said, but it seems that New Mexico is adopting it.

The standards require “students to identify with a group” as early as kindergarten, the committee noted.

Sandie Shillings, a high school history teacher on the committee, added, “Personal identity should not be taught in school.” Parents should teach identity, she said.

The standards require history teachers to teach “so much information that is not history,” she said.

She said history should not be political, and students should be taught how to think instead of what to think.

Much of the information the proposed standards require to be taught in early grades should not be taught at that level. Teaching of first, second and third grade, they said, should focus on reading and mathematics.

Also, the teachers said in their presentation Tuesday the new guidelines require much more reading at 122 pages, than current standards, at 26 pages.

Further, they said, many of the standards are very complex and “vaguely worded” and would place nearly impossible demands on first-time teachers of the subject.

“Teachers may have to go beyond scope of their qualifications,” to teach social sciences under the proposed standards, Schumpert said.

Parent Regina Sweeten told the board in a public comment period that teaching “social identity” to kindergartners would fail.

“They should talk about family traditions and customs,” she said.

Rather than social issues, she said, young children should be learning about “things that happen in their own town. They should understand what’s around them.”

She also expressed concern about doing what “they” say without knowing who “they” are, which seemed to be how she views the proposed standards from the PED.

Later in the meeting, Cain assured the board and audience members that the proposed state standards are not close to adoption, and there is time to make adjustments.

Besides, he said, in any case, “we will align to community standards.”

In other matters Tuesday:

• Cain told the board the district anticipates a $150,000 grant from the New Mexico Department of Health. The grant will defray costs for a voluntary COVID-19 surveillance system allowing students whose parents approve to receive regular COVID-19 testing at school.

• The board accepted bids from Hamilton GM Country for a 2022 Chevrolet Suburban for $46,495 and a 2022 Chevrolet Traverse for $28,595. Cain said the vehicles will be useful for staff and teachers who must travel on school business.

• The board learned of progress on renovation of the Brown Early Childhood Education Center. Cain said the building is being remodeled to meet new pre-kindergarten building standards and add offices. Construction on the $5 million project began in June, he said.

• The board learned auditors were visiting the district for regular annual audits required by the New Mexico State Auditor’s Office. The district is also reviewing its “teacher cost index,” designed to assure teachers are being paid appropriately for their training and experience.