New Mexico
Governor Lujan Grisham’s Free College Plan For New Mexico Boosts Enrollment
Earlier this 12 months, New Mexico launched one of many nation’s most beneficiant free school plans. The aim was to make sure that anybody in New Mexico who needed to attend school may accomplish that with out worrying in regards to the value of school. Based mostly on enrollment, it appears just like the plan is working.
Faculty enrollment in New Mexico has elevated by 4 p.c this 12 months. The rise is notable as a result of enrolment has declined in most states for the third 12 months. The enrollment enhance in New Mexico signifies that free school packages might be an efficient methodology for stemming the decline in school enrollment.
That is the primary time in a decade that school enrollment in New Mexico has risen.
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham mentioned, “The Alternative Scholarship started as a imaginative and prescient of opening the doorways to school for extra New Mexicans than ever earlier than – and now we see clearly that our investments are making the goals of so many college students a actuality proper right here at dwelling. As we develop and diversify the state’s economic system and prepare our workforce for a thriving future, we’re creating extra alternatives than ever for New Mexico households.”
What Is Free Faculty And How Does New Mexico’s Program Work?
New Mexico’s Alternative Scholarship is likely one of the most beneficiant and wide-reaching promise packages within the nation thus far. The scholarship is open to graduating highschool college students and college students coming into greater schooling later in life. Moreover, the scholarship is offered to part-time college students in addition to full-time and can be utilized for profession coaching certificates, in addition to for affiliate and bachelor’s diploma packages. Many free school packages restrict eligibility to latest highschool graduates and full-time college students.
Free school initiatives, or promise packages as they’re usually labeled, are one approach to cut back the worth of school for college students. The packages are available in varied types. However at their core, they promise that tuition and charges shall be coated by grant cash so eligible college students do not need to take out loans or pay out-of-pocket for his or her tuition and charges. There are vital variations in how such packages may be designed, with an important distinction being whether or not they’re set as much as be a first-dollar or last-dollar program.
New Mexico’s Alternative Scholarship is a first-dollar program, making it extra beneficiant than many different promise packages. First-dollar packages cowl tuition and charges up entrance, permitting college students to make use of the federal Pell Grant and any grant funds from their state or college to pay for books, housing, transportation, and different bills. Final-dollar packages promise to prime up college students’ monetary help if federal and state grants don’t cowl all their tuition and charges. Final-dollar packages are extra widespread as a result of they’re inexpensive for states to fund.
First-dollar packages present extra help to college students from low-income households. College students with the bottom private and household incomes usually tend to obtain federal and state grants that cowl tuition and charges, leaving no room for a last-dollar promise program so as to add to their monetary help.
Might Free Faculty Reverse Enrollment Declines?
New Mexico’s enrollment enhance is especially notable as a result of it runs counter to declining enrollment in school throughout the nation. Faculty enrollment cratered in the course of the pandemic and, in most states, has continued to say no. The change additionally comes after a 5.5 p.c drop in enrollment in New Mexico in 2021, supporting the concept free school packages may assist stem enrollment declines.
There may be growing proof that promise packages are an efficient approach to forestall enrollment declines and convey extra folks into greater schooling. New Mexico shouldn’t be the one state to start out a free school program and see it increase enrollment. Maine began a promise program up to now 12 months and has seen smaller however nonetheless vital enrollment will increase. A latest weblog submit from New America famous that “the advantages of free tuition plans outweigh their prices and could be a sensible funding for state and federal governments.”
Free school stays in legislative purgatory on the federal stage however continues to develop on the state and native ranges. This newest knowledge from New Mexico knowledge gives extra proof that free school packages are an efficient approach to convey extra folks into greater schooling.
New Mexico
Albuquerque bakery struggles to keep up with biscochito demand during holiday season
For Celina’s Biscochitos that means making double if not three times more biscochitos to make sure locals and people nationwide have a sweet taste of New Mexico tradition.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – If you’re from New Mexico, there’s a popular sweet treat that will be on the dessert table this holiday season, biscochitos.
While you can buy them year-round, the holidays are especially busy for bakeries who specialize in making them.
For Celina’s Biscochitos that means making double if not three times more biscochitos to make sure locals and people nationwide have a sweet taste of New Mexico tradition.
“We probably do on average about anywhere from about, this year, probably about maybe 400 to 600 dozen a day,” said Celina Grife, co-owner of Celina’s Biscochitos.
It’s no easy job making biscochitos.
For the past 14 years, Celina’s Biscochitos has been making her grandma’s recipe. This year, just like the rest, there is a high demand for our state’s official cookie, especially during the holidays.
“We’re just trying to keep up with the demand. So everyday by the end of the day, we’re just trying to scramble to make sure that we have enough cookies on the shelf for our customers, so that way they can pick them up at the end of the day,” said Grife.
They’re making anywhere from 4,000 to over 7,000 cookies a day. That’s two to three times more than what they usually make outside of the holiday season.
Over the years, Grife has added more than just their traditional cookie.
“Our very first flavor was the red chile biscochito. And then one thing lead to another, we just started playing with it,” Grife said.
Now they offer red and green chile, lemon, blue corn pinion and chocolate chip. This isn’t just the unique, different flavors they offer, it’s the tradition they carry on.
“We are one of the few commercial companies that are still making them the traditional way. So we still use lard, and by lard, I mean the old-fashioned blue and white container that everybody uses at home,” said Grife. “We still use brandy in our product as well. We still use the old fashion anise.”
One thing Grife has learned over the years is that for some people, a biscochito is much more than just a cookie.
“This is very personal to people, and I had no idea how personal it was to people. I could be working at an event, and I’ll have people say, ‘No, I can’t have yours because my mom or my aunt or my uncle.’ Whatever! Somebody makes them in the family,” said Grife. “Or we get somebody who doesn’t have that family member with them anymore, and they try ours, and they’re kind of like, ‘This brings back so many memories.’”
Grife says their goal is to keep that traditional biscochito flavor and texture, in every cookie they make.
New Mexico
New Mexico ski season in full swing despite warm December
The sun is out and so are the skiers and snowboarders at Sandia Peak Ski Area. Man-made snow here and at other ski areas around the state is helping keep more runs open during this warmer than usual December.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The sun is out and so are the skiers and snowboarders at Sandia Peak Ski Area. Man-made snow here and at other ski areas around the state is helping keep more runs open during this warmer than usual December.
“It’s very fun. I like the weather. It’s very sunny today,” said Carlos Morales, a skier.
Morales and his family were out getting some practice runs in on the slopes Tuesday afternoon. He and several others were enjoying the snow and the sun.
“Pretty good. It was a little hot, for sure. I kind of like it because I’m not freezing. I was able to wear my sunglasses and not the goggles, just because it wasn’t too crazy cold today. But it was nice. It was perfect weather,” said Hector Salazar, a snowboarder.
Salazar says now that Sandia Peak Ski Area is open seven days a week, it’s the perfect time to practice your skills since these slopes are not too crowded.
Ski New Mexico Executive Director Christy Germscheid says things are expected to pick up over the holidays.
“I think we probably have had slightly slower numbers on weekends and things since Thanksgiving when a lot of the resorts opened now. But Christmas is always rocking up here. We have very loyal Christmas guests,” said Germscheid.
She says it’s too soon to tell how the season is doing compared to years past. But the early snow pack from November helped lay the groundwork for snow machines.
“Expanding terrain, opening new terrain, has taken longer, been a little more limited based on the snowfall or lack of natural snow. So we’re hoping that Mother Nature kicks in here real soon,” Germscheid said.
Germscheid says every ski area in the state has snow machines. Crews at Sandia Peak Ski Area say they’ve been able to make enough snow to get almost all the runs open.
Snowboarders and skiers don’t seem to mind where the snow comes from.
“It feels good. The man-made snow, you could definitely feel that it’s a little bit harsher, it’s a little bit firmer. So if you were to take a fall, maybe hurt a little bit more, but it felt pretty good the whole time,” said Salazar.
Everyone is hoping for Mother Nature to give more snow but if not crews are just waiting for the perfect conditions to make more.
New Mexico
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