NM GRADS Adapting To Budget Crunch

By John Severance

SOCORRO – New Mexico leads the nation when it comes to teen pregnancy, according to the Guttmacher Institute, and New Mexico GRADS (Graduation Reality And Dual-Role Skills) is doing what it can to deal with the situation.
The state-wide system began as an in-school program for teenage parents and has since added on-site Child Care Centers, Career Readiness, Youth Leadership, and Fatherhood Programs.
NM GRADS executive director Sally Kosnick has spent the past month driving back and forth to Santa Fe to lobby the state legislators for funding.
When the legislators met last month, NM GRADS, now in its 20th year, had been totally cut from the state budget, which was facing more than a $500 million shortfall.
“When it came over from the house side, there was no funding for GRADS and other programs,” New Mexico Sen. Howie Morales said. “I’m a believer in the positive impact that GRADS has had on the community. And because of that, we were able to put $250,000 back in. It’s an improvement from being zeroed out.”
The budget, though, still has to be approved when the legislative special session opens Monday, March 1.
The $250,000 was put back in by legislators after they received a slew of emails and phone calls from supporters of the NM GRADS program. On the budget, the $250,000 will be listed under the Public Education Department family support services.
Kosnick was hoping to get an additional $250,000 from the Human Services Temporary Aid For Needy Families Fund. But Morales said that funding has dried up.
It’s a far cry from last year when NM GRADS received $800,000 for the 2009-10 school year.

“We will make sure that every penny is used to help teen parents,” Kosnick said. “I am very happy with the support we got from everybody when we were zeroed out. Whatever the final amount might be, we will work hard to keep NM GRADS running.”
Kosnick probably will have to find other avenues for funding such as grants, and she also has to make sure that the legislators do not shut out the NM GRADS next year as well.
“This program has been near and dear to my heart,” Kosnick said. “And it feels so good to know that we have made such a difference.”
Indeed, they have.
The mission of NM Grads is to facilitate parenting teen’s graduation and economic independence, promote healthy multi-generational families and reduce risk-taking behaviors.
During the 2008-09 school year, NM GRADS served 838 teen parents in 33 programs and in its 20 years of existence, the organization has impacted 12,539 teen parents. One of its programs is at Socorro High School under the guidance of Charlene Savedra.
NM GRADS’ program seems to work.
 • 87 percent of GRADS seniors graduated, compared to 40 percent of teen parents nationwide who graduate from high school.
• The GRADS program has a 2.2 repeat pregnancy rate versus a national rate of 19.4 percent.
• Only 2.7 percent of babies born to GRADS students were of low birth weight (5 pounds, 5 ounces). The average for New Mexico was 8.9 percent.

Picture: Sally Kosnick

Photo by John Severance

NM GRADS Adapting To Budget Crunch