LOS ANGELES — The New Mexico Public Education Department has publicly stated that it intends to appeal a court ruling that the state has failed to live up to its constitutional obligation to provide a sufficient education to all students and must implement a remedial plan by next April. Please attribute the following statement to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):
“The announced appeal is extremely disappointing, especially because the court has appropriately provided the state with the first opportunity to design a remedy. The court reached its decision after careful consideration of voluminous expert testimony and other critical evidence. Far better to begin the process of crafting a better New Mexico public education system than to delay further, for transparently political reasons, by filing an appeal that will not succeed.”