Fact: New Mexico is 8% lower than the national baseline for educational attainment of at least a bachelors degree, being 50th in education according to US News. The fact of the matter is simple New Mexico is in need of educational reform. This is seen by our lower educational attainment rates for bachelors degrees in which many do not seek out higher education. This is a problem for NM as a whole when the Legislative Finance Committee of New Mexico states that Educational Attainment is one of the leading causes of poverty in NM and that there is no "Cohesive strategy to address this need". This obviously needs to change and that's what signing does.

Because perpetuating the status quo only perpetuates current issues without any chance for solutions. Where poverty runs rampant, and opportunity is too out of reach for those who are unlucky enough too not have the means to do so. Change or more specifically Educational Attainment change will address these needs to give better quality of life to people who wish to attain these things. This helps address the poverty crisis in New Mexico and helps better the baseline of educated people in New Mexico.

But what exactly does this petition ask us to do. Well it asks to support the creation behind a State Sponsored Scholarship that supports New Mexicans with out of state aspirations. Because currently all State Sponsored Scholarships are only applicable to in-state eligible colleges. That's where the problem lies. If only In-State colleges are eligible for state sponsored help then many reasons why people go to college are neglected. Factors such as Expanding World Views or Chasing Passions at facilities best equipped to foster them are neglected leading to less people wanting/being able to achieve this higher education. Empirically programs like this have worked in the past where if you increase accessibility to college education it leads to higher enrollment such as in Virginia. This also opens doors for New Mexican students that want to pursue out of state colleges but are dissuaded by cost leading to more enrollment overall for citizens!

It is important to act now on this cause because as more generations are graduating high school setting them up for a path too success from the great state of New Mexico is key to our success as a State. To help our students NOW and address these cycles of poverty and address the need for a reform educational system. Please vote this petition for a better New Mexico one student at a time