Join us for a Telephone Town Hall on
Wednesday, April 29, at 2PM MT
While the COVID Pandemic has reshaped what education looks like across the world, education in New Mexico has been in crisis for decades. Teachers, students, and school districts have largely stepped up to make the best of the current situation, but a history of inequity in education that has continued into the present has been further exposed by the national health crisis.
We invite you to call in and hear from our panel of experts, authentic leaders from different backgrounds, including educators and students. You’ll hear updates on TENM’s activities and the landmark Yazzie/Martinez lawsuit and an analysis of the last legislative session and what to expect from the upcoming special session.
This is an interactive event. Callers will have the opportunity to ask questions related to education and sign up for future activities in support of transforming education in New Mexico.
CLICK HERE TO RSVP NOW
Meet our Speakers:
| Representative Derrick Lente State legislator, attorney, adjunct professor, and businessman, Rep. Lente was raised in a traditional Sandia Pueblo family, where the values of hard work, tradition, and dedication to family and cultural heritage were ingrained. As an entrepreneur and consultant to Tribal governments, he has first-hand witnessed the role that education equity plays not only in schools but in the “real world”. |
| Patricia Jimenez-Latham Dr. Patricia Jiménez-Latham is the project manager for Transform Education New Mexico. She firmly believes that the greatest asset our children bring to the classroom is their language and cultural identity. A lifelong educator with three decades of experience in K-20 settings, Patricia has worked to ensure we value and preserve these gifts. |
Gail Evans
Ms. Evans is lead counsel for the Yazzie plaintiffs in the Yazzie/Martinez lawsuit. She began her work on the case when she was the legal director for the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty where she led successful campaigns and lawsuits to improve access to healthcare, farm workers’ rights, immigrant access to public benefits, and language access services in the state’s largest hospitals and agencies.
| Jonathon Juarez-Alonzo Jonathon is a high school senior at Native American Community Academy. Outside of acadedmics, he is an award-winning Indigenous climate activist and community organizer. For the last five years, Jonathon has advocated for policy to improve education. He is the co-founder and current president of “Fight For Our Lives”, an organization that promotes social change through nonviolent direct action. |
David Morales
Mr. Morales is in his fifteenth year as an educator. He teaches ENLACE (Engaging Latino Communities for Education) at Mayfield High School and is also a teacher-coach for teachers that are on Alternative License pathways with the Las Cruces Public Schools. David has been honored as the 2015 Las Cruces Public Schools Teacher of the Year, the 2016 New Mexico Teacher of the Year, and received the 2017 NEA-NM Award for Teaching Excellence Recipient.
Charles Goodmacher
After twenty years with the National Education Association of New Mexico, Charles Goodmacher now oversees the government affairs function of TENM. His two teenage daughters keep him grounded in the realities of New Mexico public education from their eyes, and so he brings to his work the perspective of a parent too. Charles will MC our Town Hall.