A closer look at the governor's education initiatives for the legislative session

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has big plans for New Mexico’s public schools this session.

During her State of the State speech on Tuesday, Lujan Grisham called for students to be required to spend at least 180 instructional days in school, for more funding for the science of reading, or structured literacy, and for targeted support in the state’s lowest-performing schools.

“I know unequivocally that we can and should double down on our successes and supercharge our results,” she said about structured literacy during her speech.

But not everyone is on board with the first of those requests.

The governor has recommended $2.9 million to cover transportation costs, as well as additional dollars for universal free school meals, for schools to have 180 instructional days per year.

She also has recommended language for the state’s budget bill barring the New Mexico Public Education Department from approving any budget from a district that “provides fewer than (180) instructional days with students.”

But after lawmakers increased the number of hours students must spend in school last year, further requiring students to spend 180 days in school has triggered a flood of opposition.

Much of that has been directed at an administrative rule proposed by the PED that would make it mandatory for public schools to spend 180 days per year in school and outside of teacher professional work time.

That proposed rule, which is still awaiting approval, drew hundreds of voices of opposition late last year, many of them educators.

It also garnered rebukes from state lawmakers — including Rep. Gail Armstrong, R-Magdalena, who has sponsored a bill that would explicitly give school boards the power to determine how many days their students spend in school.

“Ultimately, it needs to be left up to local control,” she told the Journal last week. “They’re all very unique and different and independent, and that’s why they’re called independent school districts. And they need to be able to make that decision.”

The governor also highlighted initiatives to bolster the state’s science of reading initiative, including a $30 million ask to build a literacy institute and another $30 million for free summer literacy programs for 10,000 students who are behind grade level.

But creating a literacy institute has stalled as the PED awaits legislative approval of that appropriation, department spokesman Nate Williams said the week before the governor’s speech.

Lujan Grisham also is asking for another $30 million to “embed experts in our lowest-performing schools” to identify their challenges and find solutions to them.

“It is difficult work to move schools that are consistently seeing poor academic outcomes,” Williams said in written responses to questions. “... This funding would be used for coaching that supports school leaders in implementing broad improvements as well as targeted learning opportunities to improve student achievement.”

The PED already implements a similar strategy to improve reading in New Mexico public schools. The department has 50 “literacy coaches” deployed throughout the state who help teachers’ instruction in the classroom.

Williams said the PED hopes to secure funding for 25 more literacy coaches this year.