He vetoed all money intended for public schools and colleges in HB 997, except the additional kindergarten money. All told, the legislature intended to spend some fifty million more dollars on public schools than the governor's vetoes allowed. The governor's veto message demonstrated a complete lack of understanding of school funding in New Mexico. The department should support them through this growth period. All state funding for school districts' operational budgets flows through the equalization formula.
Funding is based on prior year student population.
This legislation was developed by a representative group of school employees called together by the Educational Retirement Board to help stem the teacher shortage. This legislation allow school districts to deny enrollment to students disenrolled in other school districts for misbehavior and allows more flexibility in enrollment policy in school districts. He also signed HB 47, requiring new teacher mentoring programs, although he cut more than half the funding for the program with his veto of SB 307. He also signed H 47 Beginning Teachers Mentorship Program , sponsored by Representative Picraux, which provides criteria for teacher induction programs and requires that the Department of Education give priority for funding to districts with the most first, second, and third year teachers. This was the only major piece of reform legislation to pass this session of the legislature and be signed by the governor.