Union Teacher Legislators Recognized for Self-Serving Accomplishments

It should be against the law for legislators to vote on legislation that enriches themselves and their public employee unions

12.02.2021Mick Rich

ToThePointWithMickRich@gmail.com

12.02.2021

Mick Rich

ToThePointWithMickRich@gmail.com

The national Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, a major contributor to union teachers running for state legislatures, applauded the great success NM Representative Majority Leader Stapleton and NM Senate President Pro Tem Stewart have had in New Mexico. Obviously, this fundraising piece was written before Stapleton was arrested for corruption.

Stewart sponsored the legislation she and Stapleton voted for to increase teachers’ salaries and pensions. As Albuquerque Public School teachers, Stewart and Stapleton voted on legislation year after year to increase their own pay and pension while New Mexico Schools continued to be stuck at the bottom. Why is this acceptable to the NM Ethics Commission?

The DLCC applauded Stapleton and Stewart for their legislation to improve school buildings reasoning this would improve student performance. An example of this fallacy is Del Norte High School in Albuquerque. Del Norte and Acalanes High School in California were both built in 1965. However, Del Norte was torn down and rebuilt in 2010 while Acalanes is still educating students in their original facility. Today Del Norte is ranked 13,394 and Acalanes is ranked 699 nationally. They want voters to focus on the quality of buildings instead of the quality of education.

In 2019 Stewart and Stapleton led the legislative effort to limit charter school growth from 16,500 to 17,000 students statewide limiting parent choice. Stewart and Stapleton are pro-union teachers that have sought to limit charter schools despite charter school successes. In 2021 US News noted the top two public High Schools in Albuquerque were charter schools. Albuquerque Institute of Math and Science ranked 82 nationally, Cottonwood Classical Prep ranked 283 nationally. Stewart and Stapleton put loyalty to unions before loyalty to students.

In September 2021 Representative and Albuquerque Public School teacher Sheryl Williams Stapleton was indicted on twenty-eight federal felony charges. It is reported that $3 million of $5 million her company received from APS was funneled into her personal account. Neither NM Auditor Colon nor the NM Ethics Commission ever investigated their fellow Democrat and the DLCC still applauds Stapleton on their website.

Stewart, Stapleton, and the teacher unions lobby voters to invest in education so they can provide our children with a good education. In reality, more money is spent every year on education while New Mexico continues to be ranked at the bottom. It is time for unions to be taken out of the education equation. The New Mexico Ethics Commission should investigate this fraud on the people of New Mexico.

Union teacher legislators like Stewart and Stapleton are a problem. Teacher unions have demonstrated they have not improved the New Mexico education system. It is time we allow parents to take their children and tax dollars with them to schools that will provide an education for a bright future.

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Only in New Mexico

The NM Ethics Commission is investigating NM Rep Dow for misclassifying a few thousand dollars she earned. While the NM Ethics Commission is silent on Rep Stapleton’s embezzlement of a few million dollars from her own school district.

I recall the NM Ethics Commission investigated Rep Yevette Herrell when she was running for US Congress. Now the NM Ethics Commission is investigating Rep Dow. The name of the commission should change to Santa Fe Democrats Oppose Republican Businesswomen.

You read it here first: Spaceport America: The Fleecing of New Mexico. Three weeks later that story was on the front page of newspapers across the state. Even Steve Pearce reported on the story I broke. A shout out to The Grant County Beat for posting the story and scooping the big city papers.