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Technical education programs are NM鈥檚 blueprint for the future

The May 24 Sunday Journal and May 25 sa国际传媒官网网页入口 published two noteworthy presentations. They were: Chad Matheson, CEO of the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Regional Economic Alliance, wrote an op-ed connecting NM鈥檚 youth to opportunity and the future economy, and Michaela Helean, Observer staff writer, wrote 鈥淏lueprint of the future鈥� about RioTECH graduating its first class as welders and computer science students.

New Mexico鈥檚 community health assessment, social determinants assessment and socioeconomic profile have been stagnant at below par for several generations. No need to repeat the well-recognized grisly details here. We鈥檙e trapped in a maelstrom of self-inflicted gas lighting, conjecture and finger-pointing. Exploitation of New Mexican鈥檚 assets by our own homegrown opportunists and outside predatory groups have relegated us to learned helplessness, victim complex and a culture of victimhood.

Matheson鈥檚 organization, the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Regional Economic Alliance, and RioTech are the foundational blueprint for New Mexico鈥檚 future. They personify the development of our youth to become self-determining, self-reliant and self-sufficient citizens that embody the promise of fulfilling New Mexico鈥檚 ancestral and future potential. The combination of academic excellence, workforce and career development, and professional development are the mainstays of our state鈥檚 and our community鈥檚 future. This approach levels the playing field and brings all cultures and classes of New Mexico鈥檚 citizens to learn and grow together. It is imperative that we prepare all early and secondary education students to consider these types of programs.

If the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 identifies itself as a responsible and contributing member of our community, it would do well to highlight and promote this avenue toward improving ourselves and our state. The reports of these types of efforts, results and benefits that promote and support these endeavors need to be known by the community.

David Casas 

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Housing voucher program is critical to NM renters

When nearly half of New Mexico renters pay more than 30% of their income on housing, it is good to see the state addressing the problem in so many ways (). Clearly they have heard the need for more units at affordable prices, as the cost of gas and everyday items continues to rise. Building more units designated as 鈥渁ffordable鈥� is necessary, but in the short run, families need direct help to pay their rent.

Housing Choice Vouchers is one federal program that helps immediately. Families usually pay 30% of their income in rent to their landlords. The rest of the rent up to a limit is paid directly to the participating landlords by the federal program. This works to everyone鈥檚 advantage. The families have a reliable place to live within their budget, and the landlords are guaranteed payment. As successful as this program is, its funding can serve only about a quarter of the people who need it.

The  voucher program is up for renewal in the fiscal year 2027 federal budget being worked on currently. It needs to be renewed and also expanded just to keep serving the same percentage of people as now. It鈥檚 up to us to let our members of Congress know how important this program is to stable, affordable housing for us and our families by contacting them with a quick phone call or post card. Ask them to support and increase the Housing Choice Voucher program for the good of New Mexico.

Roxanne Allen

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Greater access needed at Valles Caldera

For over a decade, Valles Caldera has been managed less like a crown jewel of America鈥檚 public lands and more like a private, gated estate.

As the National Park Service prepares to finalize its new General Management Plan, local recreationists and families are sounding the alarm on a system designed to maximize administrative control while minimizing public access.

The park leadership frequently boasts about high visitor numbers at the visitor center to prove its success. But this is a classic case of manufactured data. The public doesn鈥檛 flock to Valles Caldera just to stand in a gift shop 鈥� they are forced there.

Worse yet, the draft GMP seeks to permanently codify a microscopic vehicle quota: allowing just 40 vehicles a day.

This extreme restriction flies directly in the face of the federal EXPLORE Act, a bipartisan law designed to expand public land access, reduce front-country congestion and spread visitors out into underutilized spaces. While Congress demands open doors, Valles Caldera management is building a high-tech velvet rope.

This isn't just a violation of congressional intent; it is a direct contradiction of executive policy. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum issued Secretary鈥檚 Order 3435, which aimed to maximize the impact of the EXPLORE Act.

Why has this hyper-restrictive management style been allowed to persist for so long without oversight? The answer lies in political insulation. Superintendent Jorge Silva-Ba帽uelos 鈥� a former Senate staffer who helped write the legislation transferring the Caldera to the NPS 鈥� has enjoyed the staunch political backing of Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico, for over 10 years. This political shield has allowed the preserve to operate in a vacuum, ignoring community pushback and federal recreation priorities alike.

Our public lands belong to the American people, not the bureaucrats assigned to manage them. It is time for transparency and a management plan that aligns with the spirit of the EXPLORE Act.

Seth Gayner

White Rock

Creating space for student mental health at Moriarty High School

As a school nurse and school-based healthcenter coordinator, I see firsthand the stress and systemic barriers students carry into the classroom. These stressors impact a student's emotional well-being, physical health and classroom success. In a rural community like Moriarty, schools are the frontline of health supports.

That鈥檚 why our new wellness room at Moriarty High School is so meaningful for our entire community.

During Mental Health Awareness Month, let us recognize that mental well-being is an absolute prerequisite to academic success. Our wellness room serves as a safety net for more than 600 students, offering a dignified space to reset, decompress and return to learning ready to succeed. 

This sanctuary reflects the power of public-private collaboration and was made possible through the critical support and shared vision of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of New Mexico and Braintree, an organization training educators in well-being. 

True equity means meeting young people where they are without stigma. The wellness room pairs an open-access resource cart 鈥� stocked with hygiene products, nutritious snacks and necessities 鈥� with evidence-based mental health tools. Students use sensory tools like weighted blankets and fidgets for self-regulation, creative activities like puzzles and sand art to refocus, and movement practices like yoga to manage stress. 

What stands out most is the impact. Since opening, all participating students have experienced a 65% or more improvement in their physiological state from arrival to departure. These moments of reset are critical for developing lifelong skills in self-awareness and emotional regulation.

Supporting youth mental health is a continuous community promise. We are deeply grateful to our partners for investing in our youth, proving what is possible when schools, communities and health leaders unite to ensure every student has an equitable chance to thrive.

Donzlynn Worthington Chavez

Moriarty