Heinrich Announces MacArthur Elementary Community School Coordinator Tatiana Del Toro-Frank as State of the Union Guest

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) announced Tatiana Del Toro-Frank, Community School Coordinator at MacArthur Elementary School in Las Cruces, N.M. as his guest for President Biden’s State of the Union Address.

Senator Heinrich selected Del Toro-Frank to recognize her work to bolster New Mexico students’ education, health, and well-being, and also underscore the work that still lies ahead to expand access to early childhood education and increase funding for full-service community schools.

“New Mexico’s kids deserve a future as bright as they are, and champions committed to delivering exactly that. Tatiana Del Toro-Frank is one of those champions. Her complete dedication to the families of her community deserves to be celebrated,” said Heinrich. “I look forward to having Tatiana as my State of the Union guest and working in tandem with her to fight for working families in New Mexico.”

“I am humbled to serve as Senator Heinrich’s guest at the State of the Union Address,”said Del Toro-Frank. “I feel honored to represent the phenomenal work community schools in southern New Mexico have accomplished over the last few years. By partnering with our local community and non-profits, we offer our school communities a whole-family approach, providing free onsite school-based health centers, counseling, supplemental nutrition services, childcare and afterschool programs, parenting classes, community outreach classes, family engagement events, and professional development opportunities. Senator Heinrich has been a tremendous advocate on behalf of community schools, and we are thankful for his commitment to this movement.”

About Tatiana Del Toro-Frank:

Tatiana Del Toro-Frank, a Las Cruces resident, has worked in education for over 10 years as both a teacher and administrator. Tatiana facilitates MacArthur Elementary's vision for whole school transformation and establishes strategies for positive student outcomes. She coordinates all student, staff, and family support services using data and strategic plans to partner with local community partners for services. Her goal is to create reflexive partnerships with community organizations to remedy school and community barriers.

Tatiana Del Toro-Frank is eager to create meaningful relationships with community partners to meet her school community’s needs and create an equitable learning environment for all MacArthur students.

Heinrich has been a strong champion for full-service community schools and early childhood education across New Mexico.

By the numbers:

In 2022, Heinrich secured $1.8 million in Congressional Directed Spending (CDS) as part of the Fiscal Year 2022 Omnibus Appropriations Agreement to provide technical assistance to small and rural school districts to implement a Statewide Community Schools strategy. This funding helped to establish the Southwest Initiative for Transformative (SWIFT) Community Schools, which is now serving as the epicenter, connector, and collaborator for this statewide community schools effort. SWIFT is providing technical assistance, best practices, and resources to school leaders from across the state.Heinrich also supported nearly $7.5 million in federal funding for community schools in New Mexico across 3 grants, shown below:

• $2,491,000 to the County of Bernalillo -  ABC Community School Partnership "All Hands In!" project in Albuquerque.
• $2,500,000 to the Las Cruces Public School District 2 "Transforming Schools into Neighborhood Hubs for Every Student, Every Day" project in Las Cruces.
• $2,499,841 to the Taos Municipal Schools "Taos Community Schools Consortium" project in Taos County.

Additional background on Heinrich’s leadership on education:

Heinrich is a cosponsor of the Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2023, a comprehensive bill to improve student outcomes by helping public schools and districts bring in wraparound support services including medical, mental, and nutrition health services, mentoring and youth development programs, technical assistance, and continuing education courses. Full-service community schools have a proven track record of producing tangible results for students – including advancing academic achievement and improving attendance.

Additionally, Heinrich has long led efforts to deliver more resources to support early childhood education in New Mexico. In 2014, Heinrich became the first member of the New Mexico Congressional Delegation to publicly support unlocking investments from the state’s Land Grant Permanent Fund to support early childhood education. In the last Congress, Heinrich led the successful effort to pass the New Mexico Education Enhancement Act, which granted federal approval of the State of New Mexico’s constitutional amendment that unlocked investments from the Land Grant Permanent Fund for early childhood and K-12 public education.

In November 2023, Heinrich announced $10 million in federal funds to improve early childhood education and care in New Mexico through supporting comprehensive initiatives aimed at bolstering New Mexico's early childhood infrastructure.

In September 2023, Heinrich introduced the Child Care Stabilization Act, which would provide $16 billion in mandatory funding each year for the next five years to continue the successful Child Care Stabilization Grant program. This investment would ensure child care providers continue to receive a stable and reliable source of funding to help them deliver high-quality and affordable child care for working families across the country.

In June 2023, Heinrich introduced the Apprenticeship Pathways Act to create pathways to careers for high school students by expanding access to apprenticeship programs. Apprenticeships offer a direct path to acquiring in-demand skills, and early exposure to industries can encourage more students to pursue careers in those professions. Expanding apprenticeship programs for high school students can help address workforce shortages and ensure a sustainable workforce pipeline.

In May 2023, Heinrich introduced the Living Schoolyards Act to support schools in New Mexico as they re-envision their outdoor spaces to create more hands-on learning opportunities, strengthen local ecological systems, and give every child a place to learn and play outside.

In June 2021, Heinrich introduced the Championing Apprenticeships for New Careers and Employees in Technology (CHANCE in Tech) Act to make tech apprenticeships available to high school students, early college STEM students, and post-secondary students. This legislation would equip students with the necessary skills to compete in the 21st century workforce and create earlier pathways to high-paying careers in the information technology (IT) industry.

In September 2021, Heinrich announced nearly $17 million in federal funding to support Head Start services across New Mexico. Head Start promotes school readiness of children under the age of five from low-income families through education, health, social and other services.

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