The State-Tribal Education Compact Schools Act won unanimous approval from the full senate a few days ago.
Bill sponsor Benny Shendo, Jr., of Jemez Pueblo, during a Senate Education hearing last month, said that of 140 tribal languages that are still spoken today in the U.S., fewer than 20 are expected to survive beyond the year 2050.
According to a Legislative Education Study Committee analysis, SB-13 authorizes the Public Education Department to collaborate with Indian nations, tribes, or pueblos in New Mexico to establish schools focused around teaching language and culture.
It would require PED to convene a government-to-government process within 90 days of receiving an education application from an Indigenous governing body.
Loretta Trujillo, executive director of Transform Education New Mexico, directly connected the proposed legislation to the Yazzie Martinez lawsuit that established the state’s constitutional obligation to provide a sufficient education for all, including Native students.
“ A key pillar of the court's ruling is the recognition that language preservation is essential to educational success," Trujillo said.
"Language is not only a tool for communication, it is the foundation of identity, culture, and self-determination. The Senate bill takes a significant step towards addressing these systemic inequities by creating these compact schools.
"For too long, indigenous students have been denied access to an educational system that fully values and sustains their linguistic and cultural heritage.”
District 19 Senator Anthony Thornton, asked whether such a measure would create a quote “Balkanization of our school system,” whereby we would need different schools for different ethnic categories.
Senator Shendo responded by citing himself as an example, and said that the compact schools, by establishing a more solid cultural foundation for indigenous students, would better prepare them for an-all around education.
Two years ago a version of the bill survived the senate but ran out of time before making it through the house.
Senate Bill 13 isn’t yet scheduled, but will next face a hearing in the House Education Committee.
