Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

HB0039

HOUSE BILL 39

56th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2024

INTRODUCED BY

Yanira Gurrola and Patricia Roybal Caballero and

Charlotte Little and Kristina Ortez and Derrick J. Lente

AN ACT

MAKING APPROPRIATIONS TO STATE INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, TRIBAL COLLEGES AND THE PUBLIC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO COMPLY WITH THE COURT'S RULINGS IN THE CONSOLIDATED MARTINEZ AND YAZZIE V. THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO LAWSUIT BY IMPROVING EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES FOR CERTAIN PUBLIC SCHOOL AND HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS AND FAMILIES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

SECTION 1. APPROPRIATIONS--STATE INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION--PUBLIC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT--EDUCATOR WORKFORCE AND SCHOOL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT.--

A. The following amounts are appropriated from the general fund to the board of regents of the university of New Mexico for expenditure in fiscal year 2025 and subsequent fiscal years for the following purposes:

(1) to the college of arts and sciences for the language, literacy and sociocultural studies department:

(a) two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) to develop and implement a bachelor's degree program in elementary bilingual education, provide salaries for bilingual course instructors and establish a memorandum of understanding process for course sharing with other New Mexico post-secondary educational institutions offering bilingual coursework;

(b) two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) to develop a pipeline program for secondary and post-secondary students pursuing undergraduate teacher education and elementary bilingual education degrees, including funding for the recruitment of bilingual student cohorts, establishing cohort mentorships and support services for bilingual cohorts and student stipends for tuition, books, supplies and testing fees;

(c) two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) to develop a graduate studies pathway leading to an endorsement in bilingual education for bilingual teachers teaching in Spanish and English, including incentives for teacher recruitment, course development with dedicated faculty positions attached for course delivery and cohort mentorships;

(d) three hundred fifty thousand dollars ($350,000) for the development of a native language certification program for native language speakers teaching in early childhood programs, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten through twelfth grade programs; and

(e) three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) to develop an undergraduate bilingual pathway for Native American language teachers, including course and webinar development, course instruction, development of a recruitment pipeline for Native American secondary students preparing to receive the state seal of bilingualism-biliteracy, recruitment of Native American bilingual speakers, establishment of cohort mentorships for students and native language teachers and stipends for tuition, books, supplies, testing fees and course instructors; and

(2) to the institute for American Indian education, five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) to establish a curriculum and materials development center in collaboration with the American Indian language policy research and teacher training center and Dine language teachers institute to develop culturally and linguistically relevant curricula and instructional materials to support students, schools and tribes and to provide professional development for teachers and administrators in culturally responsive instruction.

B. The following amounts are appropriated from the general fund to the board of regents of New Mexico state university for expenditure in fiscal year 2025 and subsequent fiscal years for the college of health, education and social transformation for the following purposes:

(1) eight hundred twenty-five thousand dollars ($825,000) to partner with an entity that provides teacher training on assessment literacy and capstone projects using a community of practice approach to provide two hundred fifty teachers with stipends and training on competency-based capstone implementation specific to the unique needs of New Mexico communities and hands-on and community participation evaluation methods; and

(2) five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) to fund and sustain a bilingual education program.

C. The following amounts are appropriated from the general fund to the board of regents of New Mexico highlands university for expenditure in fiscal year 2025 and subsequent fiscal years for the following purposes:

(1) five hundred fifty thousand dollars ($550,000) to increase the number of bilingual teacher education faculty in the school of education with preference for indigenous and Hispanic scholars;

(2) one million eight hundred one thousand six hundred dollars ($1,801,600) for the institute for culturally and linguistically responsive learning and teaching to support research and research activities for the recruitment and retention of endowed professors of indigenous knowledge, bilingual and translanguaging studies, inclusivity and school impact; retention of diverse teachers through year-long co-teaching apprenticeships; professional development schools partnerships; and expansion of bilingual full-service community schools;

(3) seven hundred seventy-five thousand dollars ($775,000) for the center for the education and study of diverse populations for teacher training, staff development, curriculum development, culturally responsive teaching, English language learner development standards, bilingual support, instructional leadership and youth leadership; and

(4) two hundred sixteen thousand dollars ($216,000) for students pursuing doctoral degrees in bilingual teacher education. Preference shall be given to applicants who are residents of and committed to working in New Mexico.

D. The following amounts are appropriated from the general fund to the higher education department for expenditure in fiscal year 2025 and subsequent fiscal years for the following purposes:

(1) four hundred fifty thousand dollars ($450,000) to contract with an organization to provide technical assistance and professional development for administrators, teachers and other support staff that reflects and focuses on the needs of the bilingual multicultural education programs in New Mexico;

(2) for Navajo technical university:

(a) one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) to establish a center to develop, publish and disseminate culturally and linguistically relevant curricula and instructional materials to support students, teachers, schools and the Navajo Nation in New Mexico and provide professional development for teachers and administrators in culturally responsive instruction; and

(b) one million two hundred thousand dollars ($1,200,000) to expand programs in the early childhood Navajo teacher training lab and practicum center, including recruitment, retention, training, certification and placement of early childhood education teachers, that incorporate indigenous education principles;

(3) five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) for Dine college for recruitment and retention of teachers and to advance the New Mexico multicultural teacher education program;

(4) four hundred fifty thousand dollars ($450,000) for the southwestern Indian polytechnic institute to develop and implement a bilingual pathway for native language and culture teachers and to provide professional development workshops for tribal early childhood centers and community schools; and

(5) four hundred thousand dollars ($400,000) for northern New Mexico college for the department of teacher education to provide culturally appropriate student support services, including academic and career advisement, to incorporate trauma-informed practices into all licensure programs and to create a trauma-informed endorsement.

E. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance of the

appropriations in Subsections A through D of this section remaining at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund.

SECTION 2. APPROPRIATIONS--STATE INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION--CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE HEALTH AND WELLNESS.--

(1) two million five hundred eighteen thousand one hundred dollars ($2,518,100) for the health sciences center's office for diversity, equity and inclusion to provide students in the combined bachelor of arts and medical doctorate degree program with support services and experiences and to recruit students into the medical school pathway who are committed to in-state service;

(2) two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) for the school of medicine division of community behavioral health for the New Mexico clearinghouse for Native American suicide prevention to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate mental and behavioral health training, crisis response planning and suicide prevention and intervention practices to schools, school districts and tribal communities. Training may include mental health first aid and continuing education courses to social workers and other service providers serving Native American students and Native American populations; and

(3) four hundred fifty thousand dollars ($450,000) for the health sciences center for the center for Native American health for student recruitment and retention in health careers, academic advisement, undergraduate and graduate support student services, tribal community health assessments, tribal-health-disparities-focused research, behavioral-health-focused research, school and community health alignment and technical assistance to Indian nations, tribes and pueblos.

B. Three hundred twenty-five thousand dollars ($325,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the board of regents of New Mexico highlands university for expenditure in fiscal year 2025 and subsequent fiscal years for the school of social work center for excellence in social work to design, coordinate and implement culturally relevant, trauma-responsive trainings for social workers and behavioral health professionals practicing or intending to practice in public schools and to develop practice briefs for social workers and behavioral health practitioners.

C. One million two hundred thousand dollars ($1,200,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the higher education department for expenditure in fiscal year 2025 and subsequent fiscal years for Navajo technical university to provide support for the provision of courses, training and staff development encompassing substance abuse, suicide prevention and behavioral health intervention strategies.

D. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance of the appropriations in Subsections A through C of this section remaining at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund.

SECTION 3. APPROPRIATIONS--STATE INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION--CULTURALLY SUSTAINING FRAMEWORKS.--

(1) two million nine hundred eighty thousand dollars ($2,980,000) for the Native American studies department to work with tribal communities to develop culturally sustaining curricula, provide teacher education, language revitalization and community-building, support student success and expand faculty and staff research and teaching;

(2) seven hundred fifty thousand dollars ($750,000) for the indigenous design and planning institute at the school of architecture and planning to support faculty and staff positions to implement an online indigenous planning certificate program and to support graduate student assistantships; and

(3) four hundred thousand dollars ($400,000) to the college of education and human sciences for the multicultural education center to fund culturally responsive curriculum development, disseminate research findings that promote understandings around culturally responsive frameworks and provide regional in-person and virtual professional development workshops and training webinars for in-service kindergarten through twelfth grade teachers, superintendents, school district staff and school administrative staff. Funds may also be allocated for materials development, webinar and virtual workshop development, training coordinators and training specialists.

B. One million dollars ($1,000,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the board of regents of New Mexico state university for expenditure in fiscal year 2025 and subsequent fiscal years for the borderlands and ethnic studies department to provide courses and minors in the areas of Native American studies, Chicana and Chicano studies and borderlands and ethnic studies; partner with the department of Africana studies; design professional development; support the implementation of culturally and linguistically relevant and sustaining instructional materials for kindergarten through twelfth grade; and design a research center to investigate the efficacy and impact of these activities.

(1) one hundred fifteen thousand dollars ($115,000) to the department of languages and culture for the Native American and Hispanic studies program to collaborate with school districts and an entity with expertise in project-based learning focused on ranching, agriculture, food traditions and other