At Transform Education NM, our policy agenda is rooted in a commitment to ensuring every student in New Mexico receives the education they deserve. Developed in collaboration with our coalition partners, our agenda prioritizes solutions that address systemic inequities and create lasting change in our schools.

Our approach is guided by two key pillars: Equity Principles and Equity Actions. Equity Principles shape our vision, ensuring that all students, regardless of background, zip code or circumstance, are seen, valued and supported. Equity Actions outline the concrete steps needed to turn this vision into reality, driving policy changes that improve educational outcomes across the state.

By centering equity in every decision, we are working to build a stronger, more inclusive education system that meets the needs of New Mexico’s diverse student population.

Community Schools

EQUITY PRINCIPLE:

Every student in New Mexico deserves access to community schools that serve as hubs of learning and support, fostering success through equitable resources and services.

EQUITY ACTION:

• Secure funding to implement and maintain full-service community schools in underserved areas.
• Ensure access to wraparound services such as health care, mental health support, and after-school programs.
• Develop metrics to evaluate the impact of community schools on student outcomes and community engagement.

Funding for Equity Initiatives

EQUITY PRINCIPLE:

Every student deserves an education system that values their identity, provides resources that foster their growth and healing, and ensures they have the tools to thrive

EQUITY ACTIONS:

• More than just shifting dollars, there must be a commitment to aligning goals, plans, and funds toward equity.
• Conduct a cost analysis to determine the resources needed to fully implement and support the Black Education Act, Bilingual Multicultural Education Act, Hispanic Education Act, and Indian Education Act, ensuring these laws fulfill their intended purpose.
• Allocate and monitor resources to uphold the cultural and linguistic rights of students, providing equitable opportunities and fostering academic success for all.

Equitable Educator Compensation

EQUITY PRINCIPLE:

Every student in New Mexico deserves educators who are valued, trained to address their cultural and linguistic needs, and equipped with the expertise to support students with disabilities.

EQUITY ACTIONS:

• Implement responsive pay structures that ensure economic security and stability for all educators and staff.
• Provide targeted incentives for bilingual, TESOL-endorsed, and special education educators to recognize their expertise and responsibilities.
• Offer retention bonuses or salary adjustments for experienced educators, addressing pay disparities caused by compaction and ensuring fair compensation.
• Provide bonuses for educators earning micro-credentials or advanced degrees in Ethnic Studies, Multicultural Studies, and Bilingual Education to support culturally responsive teaching and development.

Tribal Sovereignty in Education

EQUITY PRINCIPLE:

Native students have the right to express their cultural identity without discrimination. Schools must protect their ability to wear tribal regalia at key events. Additionally, Tribes should have the authority to govern public schools on or near their lands.

EQUITY ACTIONS:

• Establish policies ensuring Native students can wear tribal regalia at school events without discrimination.
• Support tribal-state education compacts for schools on or near tribal lands.
• Center tribal leadership in decisions affecting Native students and schools.

Seclusion & Restraint

EQUITY PRINCIPLE:

Every student in New Mexico deserves a safe, inclusive learning environment with proactive measures, transparency, and accountability to ensure dignity, cultural responsiveness, and equitable treatment.

EQUITY ACTIONS:

• Publish restraint and seclusion policies online and in student handbooks, and notify parents in writing of incidents, including details on antecedents, de-escalation, and interventions, along with the right to request an IEP meeting for children with disabilities.
• Require mandatory state-funded training for all school staff on minimizing restraint and seclusion practices, focusing on de-escalation, positive behavior interventions, cultural responsiveness, and understanding behavioral characteristics of disabilities.
• Establish a reliable system by the New Mexico PED for monitoring and reporting restraint and seclusion, with clear guidelines and public data publication, and implement all recommendations made by the Senate.

Teen Mental Health

EQUITY PRINCIPLE:

Every student in New Mexico should have

access to mental health support by addressing the shortage of professionals and creating pathways for student internships, alongside sustainable funding for work-based learning opportunities.

EQUITY ACTIONS:

• Partner with higher education institutions to establish internship programs for counseling and social work students in K-12 schools.
• Provide stipends and supervision to interns to ensure quality services.
• Develop career pathways for interns to transition into full-time mental health roles post-graduation.

Literacy Across Languages

EQUITY PRINCIPLE:

Every student in New Mexico deserves a literacy policy that is inclusive, culturally relevant, and grounded in ensuring that students are supported in both their home language and the language of English.

EQUITY ACTIONS:

• Align literacy policies with the Bilingual Multicultural Education Act (BMEA) by ensuring that the voices of bilingual and Indigenous education experts are considered in the implementation and decision-making process.

Juvenile Justice

EQUITY PRINCIPLE:

Every student in New Mexico deserves the opportunity to pursue their education in a healthy, supportive environment. Youth prisons do not provide that opportunity. New Mexico must focus on addressing the root causes of crime, and foster supportive environments to empower youth to thrive.

EQUITY ACTIONS:

• Ensure consistent educational access and support by prioritizing a juvenile justice system focused on prevention, diversion, rehabilitation, and restorative justice to make communities whole.
• Address basic health and well-being needs.
• Protect youth privacy and dignity by eliminating punitive measures such as automatic jail transfers and the misuse of sealed records, which have long-lasting impacts on children.

Universal School Meals

EQUITY PRINCIPLE:

Every student in New Mexico deserves a free, healthy, scratch-cooked, culturally relevant meals using locally grown produce.

EQUITY ACTION:

• Fund school gardens, farm infrastructure, and farm-to-school programs for eligible districts.
• Support NM GROWN to provide local produce and fair wages for small farmers.

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