This is the year for an overhaul of New Mexico’s public education system. That was at the heart of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s message to lawmakers during her State of the State remarks.
Raises for teachers and money for universal Pre-K are two big items Lujan Grisham wants to see in the state budget this time around.
She also wants to nearly triple the Indian Education Fund and add $55 million for bilingual and multicultural programs. Those funds could help address a judge’s ruling that the state must better serve at-risk students.
“We need to target our resources to communities that are currently underserved," said Lujan Grisham. "Our most vulnerable populations, they need us to deliver.”
Lujan Grisham also wants to boost K-5 Plus, a program to extend the school year for elementary students in low-income schools.
Missing from her speech was any mention of how the state will hold school districts accountable for providing the culturally responsive education that’s already required by state law.
Read the governor's complete remarks, plus analysis by KUNM news staff, here.
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