Albuquerque – American Federation of Teachers New Mexico President Whitney Holland released the following statement:

“New Mexicans voted across our state in critical local elections. From deciding on local officials, school boards, and municipal bonds to local school levies and higher education advisory boards, voting has never been more consequential.

“We offer our heartfelt congratulations to each of the AFT New Mexico-endorsed candidates who were successful in their individual elections across New Mexico in communities like Las Cruces, Rio Rancho, Albuquerque, and Los Alamos.

“We are proud to add these newly-elected and returning voices to our continued fight for strong public education in New Mexico, increased rights for workers, better public education systems for students and their families, and strong advocacy for respecting all of New Mexico’s diverse communities.

“Additionally, we also owe a debt of gratitude to all of the candidates who stood up and ran for office in New Mexico. Willingness to serve our communities and students is admirable, and we thank each of them for passion and hard work to better New Mexico. We would be remiss if we did not explicitly mention our appreciation to Jinx Baskerville, Uche Ohiri, and Julie Brenning who ran for positions on the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education and fought diligently against significant out-of-state and business funding to influence control of our public schools.

“We pledge to remain vigilant against these well-funded efforts to privatize our public education system and weaken the education we deliver to our students and families every day. We will continue to work to uphold our shared New Mexican values as educators and trusted members of the communities we serve.”