Congress Green-Lights NM Plan To Further Tap The Land Grant Fund For Public Education

By Marisa Demarco, Source New Mexico

December 23, 2022

A few lines in the 4,126-page measure Congress sent to President Biden’s desk for signature Friday will mean hundreds of millions more in funding for New Mexico’s public-school students each year.

U.S. House approves $1.7 trillion funding package and sends it to Biden

Voters in N.M. overwhelmingly approved pulling an additional 1.25% from the state’s multi-billion-dollar Land Grant Permanent Fund for education each year. Because the fund was set up by Congress when New Mexico became a state, the will of the voters in 2022 still required a congressional sign-off.

The lengthy bill had finally cleared both chambers on Friday and is expected to be signed by Biden.

In the next fiscal year in New Mexico, over $200 million will come out of a pool of money fed monthly by revenue from oil, gas and mineral extraction on state lands.

Over half of the new money is destined for the state’s burgeoning early childhood education system as it recruits staff and works to reach all corners of the state, providing free or low-cost childcare and pre-kindergarten schooling.

“When we improve our education and childcare system, we also make our state a better place to raise a family, to start or expand a business, to find a good-paying job, and to hire the best and brightest employees,” U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich said in a written statement earlier this month as Congress went back and forth over the spending bill.

The rest of the fresh funding will go to K-12 public education, beefing up instruction for students who are at-risk, making the school year longer and paying teachers better.

Advocates say infusing public education with much-needed resources will go a long way toward putting New Mexico into compliance with a court order to provide equitable education to all of the state’s students, including those who are Indigenous, come from families with low incomes, have disabilities or are learning English.

"Those students have historically not received the quality of education they have a right to under the New Mexico Constitution," according to the judge’s ruling in the Yazzie-Martinez case.

The effort to further tap the fund for public schools in New Mexico spanned years. With Biden’s approval, it will finally cross the finish line.

The push to tap NM’s Land Grant Permanent Fund for education

Source New Mexico, an independent, nonprofit news organization, delivers original reporting and stories that center the lived experiences and expertise of the people of New Mexico, alongside insightful opinion and analysis. Source New Mexico is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers.