New state rep is an education leader

Editor:

Kudos to Rep. Tanya Mirabal Moya for her leadership in co-sponsoring House Bill 460 to improve the quality of the state’s colleges of education!

House Bill 460 proposed to convert the final year of a four-year teacher training program into a teacher residency, a paid year-long experience in a classroom alongside an experienced teacher.

Teachers who participate in residencies are better prepared and are much less likely to leave the profession. The bill also proposed to require future faculty hires by the colleges of education to have at least five years of experience as classroom teachers, and ensured that their curricula are grounded in current best practices, including evidence-based math and literacy instruction.

The reforms in Rep. Mirabal Moya’s bill were research-based proposals that would have better prepared new teachers entering New Mexico’s public schools. Although House Bill 460 did not pass this session, it is set up to pass next year.

The people of House District 7 are fortunate to have Rep. Mirabal Moya representing them in the Legislature.

Fred Nathan Jr.

Founder and executive director

Think New Mexico


Indictment of Trump

Editor:

They did it. A Manhattan grand jury has indicted former president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump.

On the one hand, any grand jury indictment is a big deal in that it means members of the public have decided the government has sufficient evidence to move forward with a criminal case.

On the other hand, grand jury indictments are notoriously easy to get — you may have heard the saying that you can indict a ham sandwich. As someone who presented many criminal cases to grand juries for state agencies, I know that grand juries indict most people on most things most of the time.

This case is such a big deal because of what it could mean for the rule of law in this country. I was born in a state whose motto is “equality before the law.” As an attorney, I took an oath to support the Constitution of the United States, which guarantees equal protection of the laws. The rule of law matters to me. A lot.

The indictment of a former president could be a high mark for the rule of law, if it means that no one is above the law. It is a win for our system if a prosecutor is pursuing a president because he committed a crime without caring he is a president.

The indictment of a former president could also be a low mark for the rule of law, if it means that the law you get depends on who you are. It is a loss for our system if a prosecutor is pursuing a president because he is a president without caring whether he committed a crime.

Our system is not perfect, but it guards against anarchy on the one hand and tyranny on the other. It guards against anarchy by imposing rules, and against tyranny by making even the leaders follow them.

Forget what happens to Donald Trump — what happens to the ideal of equality before the law? Will we give up on it, or will we, the people, pursue that ideal long after Donald Trump is gone?

Jonathan Gardner

Los Lunas

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The Valencia County News-Bulletin is a locally owned and operated community newspaper, dedicated to serving Valencia County since 1910 through the highest journalistic and professional business standards. The VCNB is published weekly on Thursdays, including holidays both in print and online.