by Kate Sanchez
When the COVID crisis first hit the U.S in the beginning of the year, not only was it an uprooting of life for us all, but also what we now look back on as the start of the biggest blow to several institutions throughout the country. For New Mexicans, it was an uphill battle from the start: already ranking close to last in the country for education and run by a governor who insists on closing schools and driving out thousands of small businesses while their larger counterparts are open and able to prosper. What many New Mexicans, especially those in small towns and rural areas now face, is the danger of losing the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit that they’re rooted in. Moreover, it’s a deficit that our children may never recover from, many now lagging behind by an entire year in their education. Countless people across the state have reached out to the governor for assistance, to offer suggestions, and state their opinion on the handlings of these issues; to simply have their efforts thwarted with no response and no recognition for an attempt to help improve conditions.
Will Our Kids Be Able To Recover From This?
Portales schools (fourth grade and up) have been working through online “school” since the start of the “two-week shutdown” in March. Although third graders and under could attend in-classroom instruction some this fall, newer mandates have kids of all ages using Zoom or Google Meet for instruction. Wade Fraze is a high school history teacher at Portales and has seen firsthand, the negative impacts of school closures on students and teachers alike. “At this point, some have estimated that the students have lost at least a year’s worth of education…NM was already 49th in the nation in education before March and I believe by the end of the school year we had slipped to 50th,” Fraze says. Although administrators and teachers are working as hard as they can, their hands are essentially tied by having to instruct totally through a computer screen.
Yet the loss of a classroom education may not be the biggest detriment to NM kids from these shutdowns. Mentally, emotionally, and socially, our youth are getting robbed of the experiences, the comradery, and the life they should be allowed to live. With suicide rates, to alcohol and drug use cases on the rise with our youth, depression and death has been an inevitable factor. According to Fraze, “12,000 students in NM are unaccounted for, so the drop out rate is up…child abuse is going unreported because teachers are the ones who usually spot signs of this and we never see the kids face to face.” It should pose the question, “why?”, when the survival rate for this age bracket is over 99% and cases are much milder than those more vulnerable. Are these shutdowns worth the lives of our young people?
Fraze says that 99% of the parents he’s spoken with want their kids back in the classroom and are seeing detrimental effects in them because they aren’t. “Texas has been in school since mid-August, playing sports etc. and they are coping just fine…I know of numerous families that have sent their kids to school in TX because of that,” he shares. Julie Rooney, local small business owner and Portales resident is one mother who has made that decision. Her youngest, a sophomore, was the top FFA member in Food Science in the state, preparing to go to nationals, and now in his sophomore year, only has half of a year total in high school. “He has been severely depressed,” Rooney shares, “I am sending him to live with family in TX so he can actually attend school…He has always been one to interact with his peers in a learning environment and not having that available to him has been a handicap.” Rooney also has twins who are seniors this year with just two and a half years of high school to their resume. “No proms, no homecomings, sports, activities, or social contact. They were both stellar athletes and wanted a chance to have that last senior game. Gone,” she says.
What may be one of the most frustrating factors of the school closures is that so many are prepared to reopen in a safe manner but are denied the chance to do so. “We have been planning for nine months on how to do this and teachers and students are so hungry to get back to some type of normal that both groups would do whatever necessary to get back into school,” Fraze says.
New Mexico’s Mandates Are Crushing Small Business
For years, small businesses have been the backbone of towns across the country, especially those in rural areas. And while they’ve been on the losing end of the U.S economy for some time, the Covid-19 crisis and how it’s been handled may be the factor that pushes them over the edge into financial ruin with the outcome for many being forced to close their doors for good. Under the governor’s new “red to green” data, fully re-opening anytime soon may be tough. “We shouldn’t have shut things down in the spring and summer like we did,” Executive Director of the Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce, Karl Terry, says, “We asked the governor to consider what was going on in each county then and were ignored or admonished. Now that we’re in the season for virus spread, we are given that control, but the bars to get from red to green are pretty tough for small counties.”
Portales residents and small business owners are experiencing this firsthand, with a wave of closings, reopenings, and limited capacity regulations, which are ever-changing and being mandated by the governor. To make matters worse, the assistance and support to these businesses from anyone at a higher level has been minimal to nonexistent, thanks to stimulus package talks being stalled in Congress and political moves being put into play. Roosevelt County isn’t immune to these challenges and many businesses which once flourished in the small town are facing challenges like never before. Julie Rooney owns The Happy Place, a gift, candy, and yarn shop within The Courthouse Café on the square, and she says the devastating idea of closing her doors for good has been a consideration during the lockdowns. “There have been a few times I thought I might have to just shut down and declare bankruptcy on the business,” she says, “Each time I considered it, there were a few loyal customers who would reach out to me and make purchases that kept me afloat. God provides.” Painstakingly, Rooney adds that she’s had to use her savings to get through, but it hasn’t stopped her from seeing the need for small businesses to survive. Trying to support others when she can, Rooney adds, “If I’m hurting, they are hurting, so I have tried to keep my purchases to local businesses and not a large corporation.” Similarly, Rose Richards, owner of Hestands Floral and Gifts, says that it’s the small family-like community in Portales and the surrounding areas that’s allowed her business to stay afloat during these times. “We have come together as small businesses to help each other out when we are able…,” she shares.
The financial hardship for these small businesses has been unfathomable and many have had to run large sales in order to allow for some cash flow, while drastically cutting into profits. Now, business owners are headed for financial ruin at a rapid pace. Mary Newell owns The Courthouse Café, a coffee shop and bakery with a unique menu of fresh options. Typically, a hotspot for locals to frequent for breakfast or lunch, Newell says the most recent state shutdown has been devastating to business. “Because Christmas is coming up, people are not spending money like they were before,” she states, “Which is absolutely understandable because they’re out of work and having to save all they can for Christmas.” Newell says her sales right now are a third of what they were before and if something doesn’t change soon, she will be forced to lay off some of her staff, which is like family to her. Rooney adds that financially this has set The Happy Place back to almost as it was when she first opened her doors, over four years ago. “I have to reestablish the customer base, make personal connections again…,” she shares, “…many people are experiencing a financial hardship, there isn’t money for people to spend.” Terry says Chamber of Commerce is working hard to help these businesses in any way possible. “We’ve worked harder than ever to keep our membership and the general public informed about the various health orders and public practices as well as opportunities for assistance,” he says, “We’ve also prompted shopping local and helped let folks know when and how our member businesses were open. We’ve supplied masks to businesses and individuals, and we’ve purchased gift cards to local restaurants to thank our front-line workers.” Roosevelt County has worked to pull together during this time, and to help “the little guy”, but sadly, it still may not be enough.
While it’s easy to get caught up in the numbers and financial hardship business owners face, one must remember that these are not just store owners, and the personal impact on them will leave a lasting effect. Rooney says the stress has her not sleeping because she constantly worries about paying her bills, not only at the shop but at home too. And like so many people agree, she says, “As a business owner, any business that feeds a family is essential.” It is absolutely unfair to keep people from providing for their families. Similarly, Newell says the psychological effect of the shutdowns has taken a large toll on her. Not only has she had to worry about her business and staff, but also her children and mother, who has dementia and lives with them. “We are taking every precaution to make sure that she is protected and stays healthy,” she shares, “The emotional roller coaster is pretty hard on me, not just emotionally but physically.” Similarly, Rooney says, “The lock downs didn’t slow or stop the virus, it just caused widespread economic ruin and depression in people.”
Open Our State Up…We Can Do It Safely
The solution to these problems: let us open up! Let our kids learn, socialize, play sports again; let them have a childhood! Let business owners and individuals be responsible for their own well-being. People want to see these stores open again at full capacity and it’s even more of an incentive to follow safety guidelines in order to do so. The answer to literally saving lives of NM children and allowing business owners to pay their bills is opening in a safe manner. Rooney, Richards, and Newell all agree that safety when fully opening would be their top priority if given the chance. “I think business owners should be able to get back to work and show how well they can navigate this virus,” Newell shares. From sanitizing, to proper PPE and social distancing, small businesses are able and prepared to provide as safe an environment as any big box store, perhaps even more, because of less foot traffic. Rooney says on average there are only one or two customers in her store at a time; a number that easily allows for safe reopening. “We as a small business have more to lose than the big box stores if we don’t follow safe practices…,” Richards adds, “In my case, if one employee contracts the virus, we have to shut the doors and quarantine for two weeks. We’re coming up on our biggest sales holiday of the year in February. The planning for that has already begun, and if we had to shut down it would be devastating for our business.” Terry agrees that opening the state would be beneficial for many if it’s done in a safe way. “We all need to heed the guidelines like mask wearing, social distancing and not congregate in large groups so that we can stabilize activities at our hospitals, get our children back in school and make certain our local Air Commandos at Cannon (AFB) are able to safely do their important job of national security,” he says. And more than anything, by following protocols while fully opening again, people will be able to live. “We could hide from all of this, come out of our caves and be hit by a car,” Rooney says, “Protect those who need it, stay home when you are sick, and wash your hands, but live!” Along the same lines, Fraze wholeheartedly agrees, saying, “We don’t need the government to think for us. We are very capable of thinking for ourselves. If our state opened everything up, no one would be forced to do anything that they didn’t feel comfortable doing…But as it is now, each one who wants to get on with their lives is having their freedom restricted.”
This year has been tough, but it’s been outright devastating for those living in states where lockdowns have been eminent. It’s time to open up, it’s time to focus on safety but allow people to take that responsibility into their own hands. Our kids need school and families need to be able to provide for one another. It’s time to live. It’s time to be heard.
